No Electronic Voting on March 5, Says Commission; Parties Reject Claim and Accuse Commission of Making Excuses
मंसिर १७, २०८२ १५:१०
Kathmandu: It is almost certain that there will be no electronic voting in the House of Representatives elections announced for March 5. Due to the lack of time to prepare for the election and the lack of confidence among stakeholders, the possibility of electronic voting has almost disappeared.
Gen-Z activists are abroad and are demanding electronic voting in addition to inter-constituency voting. Paper ballots can be used only once, and a large amount of money has been spent on purchasing materials and printing ballots. Electronic voting machines are considered useful to fully control issues such as delays in counting, a high number of invalid votes, booth capturing, and tearing of ballots. They replace paper ballots. However, it appears that voting machines will not be used on March 5.
Election Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said that there is no possibility of voting through electronic voting machines in the House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5. He said the possibility does not exist because the 120 political parties registered for the election, including stakeholders, are not confident in implementing electronic voting. Ninety-four days remain before the election.
“It is not possible for the Commission to implement electronic voting in the election just by its will. The 120 political parties registered for the House of Representatives election should be ready for that. However, stakeholders, including the parties, are not confident in electronic voting. Even if they are confident, there is not enough time to purchase the equipment, including the voting machines required for the polling stations. Therefore, the possibility of electronic voting in this election seems to have been eliminated,” Bhattarai told TechPana.
A total of 120 applications have been received by the Commission for political party registration and the use of a single election symbol within the deadline given until November 30 for participation in the House of Representatives election. The Commission is prepared to examine the applications and approve them by December 6.
However, technology researcher Ram Prasad Rimal says that the lack of time to use electronic voting machines and the need to convince political parties and stakeholders are being used as excuses. Rimal’s company manufactures electronic voting machines in Nepal.
Calling it an excuse to say that political parties need to be convinced, Rimal pointed to his experience using electronic voting machines in elections held by political parties and their sister organizations.
“Be it the general convention of UML itself or its sister organization ANNFSU, or the general convention of RPP Nepal. The electronic voting machines that we have manufactured in Nepal have been used in the elections of the Nepal Students’ Union and the Women’s Union of the Congress. They have also been used in the general convention of the Unified Socialist Party. This proves that political parties are ready to adopt new technology. Either the government or the Election Commission had to say that the machines we made are not good. Otherwise, they can be used in elections,” Rimal told TechPana.
Electronic voting machines were also used in the elections of the Independent Students’ Union (SSU). Although the parties decided to use electronic voting machines in their general conventions and those of their sister organizations, they have shown reluctance to use them in federal, provincial and local elections.
Election Commission officials have refused to answer which political parties are not ready for electronic voting. Although the Commission has concluded that parties are not confident, the country’s major parties have opposed this claim. They allege that the Commission has done nothing to convince the parties and is trying to get away with blaming them instead.
Former Health Minister and outgoing Nepali Congress MP Pradeep Poudel accuses the Election Commission of sitting idle at other times and then blaming the parties for not cooperating with electronic voting just before the elections. He argues that the Commission should have held serious discussions with the parties regarding the method and process of electronic voting.
“Can the Election Commission avoid its responsibility to manage the technical aspects of electronic voting and get away by blaming the parties? We should have consulted with them about which system is safe and reliable. The Commission has a tendency to not work regularly and only get active during elections. This cannot improve the election process. If the parties are made credible, we are ready to accept technology. This will definitely help us reduce our election expenses,” Poudel said.
Poudel said that the Commission should be ready to discuss electronic voting with the parties and finalize it after discussions, since voters cannot cast ballots from abroad or outside their constituencies.
Similarly, CPN-UML Secretary and outgoing MP Yogash Bhattarai said that the Commission is wrong in saying that political parties are not ready for electronic voting. Stating that electronic voting is appropriate, Secretary Bhattarai said that if the Commission creates a credible environment, they are ready to adopt it.
“Electronic voting is a very suitable option. If the Election Commission creates a credible basis for it with political parties, then we are ready. However, the Commission has to create the environment. If it creates that environment and provides a credible basis, political parties will be ready,” Bhattarai told TechPana.
Similarly, RSP spokesperson and outgoing MP Manish Jha challenged the Election Commission to make public which parties oppose electronic voting.
“The Election Commission should say who does not want electronic voting. I think they do not want to say that. Our party, the Rashtriya Swatantra Party, has been advocating for electronic voting. We have been ready since the beginning and it is possible in Nepal,” Jha said.
The RSP held an interaction on 25 November in collaboration with the National Policy Institute on how electronic voting can be made possible. After discussions with experts, he said that the technology that enables voting from both Nepal and abroad has already been developed.
“Electronic voting is being conducted in 49 countries. The Philippines is an example, where citizens in the Middle East took part electronically through a campaign called Every Filipino Counts. A study has shown that about 67 percent of Nepalis living abroad are willing to participate in voting. Forty percent of Nepalis living in Malaysia are registered voters. These voters can be involved in electronic voting,” Jha said.
According to Jha, involving Nepalis living abroad in proportional elections electronically will cost 5 UAE dollars (713 rupees) per voter, and the full process from registering voters to collecting the voter list will cost 10 dollars (1,426 rupees).
“Electronic voting is possible. Our party is advocating for it. The Election Commission should be prepared for this,” Jha said.
Similarly, Rekha Sharma, leader of the Nepali Communist Party recently formed by the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led Samajwadi Party and the Maoist Center, and an outgoing MP, said that there is no reason to be negative about technology in elections. She said electronic voting will help prevent fraud because it will make the election transparent and fair. However, she said that her party is ready if the Election Commission can manage the challenges that may arise with technological development.
“There is no reason to be negative about technology. It should be used. Our party is always ready. However, it is important what the Election Commission does to manage the challenges and risks that may arise while using technology. If it can address them properly, we are ready for electronic voting,” Sharma said.
Meanwhile, technology researcher Rimal said he will provide voting machines free of cost if the Election Commission or the government wants, and urged them to have the machines audited by a third party. He emphasized that the Commission should take the lead.
“If the election stakeholders do not trust the machines, the Election Commission can get a third-party audit done. We are ready to move forward based on the audit report. If it works, we will use it; if it does not, we will back down,” Rimal said.
He argued that the government should encourage Nepali companies because they aim to sell the machines abroad after using them in Nepal’s elections. It is estimated that there will be about 11,000 polling stations across the country for the upcoming elections in 165 constituencies under the House of Representatives.
Rimal said that about 22,000 electronic voting machines are required and that it will take about six months to build them. He said that even if machines cannot be installed in all constituencies on Falgun 21, they are ready to install them in limited polling stations.
“We cannot install them in all polling stations on March 5. However, we can start with some. If the government and the Election Commission want, that is possible. One machine will work for 20 years,” Rimal said.
Former Chief Election Commissioner Neelkanth Upreti said that political parties and activists appear lenient in using electronic voting machines in ways that benefit their interests.
“They use computers, laptops, mobile banking, and planes. They have no objections there. However, they do not want to use the latest technology for voting. Their interests are evident. Is it because they will not get votes from abroad or because the new generation does not trust them? They have always been lenient toward electronic voting,” Upreti said.
Upreti said that if the electoral system is not reformed in line with the sentiments of the Gen-Z movement, there is no justification for holding elections in 2082.
“If there is no reform, the elections could have been held in 2084. Why did the state spend such a huge amount? There is no justification without reform,” Upreti said.
Saying that electronic voting machines will cut election costs by half, Upreti said that the essence of the Gen-Z movement is not only to hold elections but also to ensure systemic reform and participation.
“That movement is not only for holding elections. The younger generation wants easy representation. There are times when the money they send from abroad works, but the votes do not. Political parties should be ashamed if they do not allow people to vote. Nowadays, very few people dislike technology. Therefore, political parties must be serious about improving elections,” Upreti said.
Gen-Z activist Bhawana Raut said that they are fighting for a system that allows voters living abroad and inter-constituency voting, in addition to electronic voting. She said that since this is a post-revolution election, it should be a vote revolution and that responsibility lies with everyone. She said the Election Commission and political parties are not ready and that there is no justification for elections after the Gen-Z movement.
“We cannot afford to reduce voter participation without systemic reforms. Elections must be fair and free from fraud. If political parties are not ready, then questions must be raised. What is the problem for parties and bureaucracy in improving the electoral process? Employees and political parties should be honest about reform,” Raut told TechPana.
The Election Commission has used electronic voting machines in some constituencies in Nepal. In the 2064 BS Constituent Assembly elections, electronic voting machines (EVMs) were used in six constituencies. Similarly, in the 2071 BS by-elections, EVMs were used in five constituencies including Bardiya, Baglung, Kathmandu and Kailali. The machines were received as a grant from the Government of India.
The Election Commission has said that if EVMs are used, vote counting across the country can be completed in two to three hours. This will reduce human error and cut the manpower and financial resources needed for counting.
A study report on electronic voting published by the Policy Research Institute in 2077 concluded that reforming the electoral system is detailed and complex because it is influenced by political interests.
The report states that technology in elections can strengthen or weaken democracy and that it must be viewed from economic, technical, managerial, stakeholder, policy and legal perspectives.
However, the Institute concluded that the use of electronic voting machines was successful in the elections and by-elections of 2064, 2065 and 2071 BS and that their use can be expanded. The report said that even illiterate citizens in rural areas are becoming used to smartphone apps, and that effective voter education can address any technical difficulties.
The report states that the design of previous electronic voting machines used in Nepal was simple. Voters were also involved in mock polling by touching the machine themselves. However, the report notes that rapid technological development has created new challenges that must be addressed.
पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: मंसिर १७, २०८२ १५:११
