First meeting of CA to convene at BICC

The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly (CA) is to convene at the Sagarmatha main hall of the Birendra International Convention Centre (BICC) at New Baneshwor.

As the current parliamentary building does not accomodate 601 CA memebers having capacity of only 400 persons, BICC was chosen for the
CA meeting.

According to reports, the government is making necessary preparation for the CA to convene at BICC. The 601 membered first sitting of the CA
is due to convene after 21 days of the final results of CA polls.

“The Ministry of Physical Planning and Works will formally recommend to the government within a day or two to hold the CA meet at the BICC as no other appropriate hall that could accommodate all 601 CA members is currently available,” a news report quoted secretary at the ministry Umakant Jha as saying.

The BICC hall is already well furnished and equipped, only a few adjustments like rearrangements of seats, microphones, recording systems and arrangements for media persons and visitors are required.

CA polls held peacefully, over 60% casts vote

Historic Constituent Assembly (CA) polls held on Thursday (April 10, 2008) have passed by smoothly and peacefully with a huge 60 percent turnout of voters at the polling booths across the country.

According to the Election Commission (EC), over 60 percent of the totel 17.6 million eligible voters exercised their rights at 239 of the 240 electoral constituencies to elect a Constituent Assembly which would draft the country’s new constitution.

The crucial election went smoothly and peacefully across the country with some sporadic incidents of violence at few polling booths in the country, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Bhoj Raj Pokhrel after the completion of the polls said.

Two persons, including an independent candidate from Sarlahi-6, were killed and polling was cancelled in 33 of the 20,889 polling stations.

“These numbers are far below than what was anticipated widely,” CEC Pokhrel said in a press conference organised by EC shortly after the election ended on Thursday.

The EC informed that the elections had to be postponed in those areas as some party cadres tried to capture booths, blank-fired and chased the voters away from the booths.

The EC also extended gratitude to all voters, the government, political parties, candidates, election staff, teachers, security personnel, civil society, national and international observers, media and entire international community who helped to make this election a success.

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Photo: An elderly women casting her vote in a booth of Bhaktapur constituency No 1. Most of the women and elderly people casted their vote during early hours of election fearing violence.