Logistical Support from Neighboring Countries
As the upcoming election date draws closer, the government is preparing to seek logistical support from neighboring countries, specifically India and China. This initiative aims to ensure a smooth and efficient conduct of the polls, which are scheduled four months away.
The Election Commission has outlined the types of support it intends to request from these two nations and has forwarded the details to the Ministry of Finance. According to acting chief election commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari, the commission has sent the list to the government for transmission through diplomatic channels. He emphasized that the commission does not directly engage with other countries.
During recent meetings with government officials and the commission, representatives from India and China expressed their willingness to provide assistance. On October 17, Prime Minister Sushila Karki requested the support of heads of missions, representatives of diplomatic communities, and development partners during a meeting.
Bhandari mentioned that the commission requires motorcycles, pick-up vans, cars, and trucks to transport ballot papers, ballot boxes, and other logistics. However, he did not disclose the exact numbers of items needed. Informed sources estimate the total number of items required to be around 400.
The International Economic Cooperation Coordination Division of the Ministry of Finance will coordinate with the respective countries to receive the aid. Tanka Pandey, spokesperson for the ministry, stated that the request has not yet been made and is still under discussion.
Prime Minister Karki has repeatedly highlighted that friendly nations are ready to provide support. During her meeting with chief ministers from all provinces, she mentioned that neighboring countries are providing vehicles. Additionally, some friendly nations have pledged financial assistance.
India previously provided 200 vehicles as part of its logistical support to various Nepali institutions for the November 2022 elections. Out of these, 120 were used by different security agencies, while 80 were utilized by the commission itself.
The need for vehicles has increased significantly due to the destruction of dozens of security agency vehicles during the violent Gen Z movement. Over 600 vehicles belonging to security agencies were vandalized or set on fire on September 9. Nepal Police lost 525 vehicles, and 62 vehicles from the Armed Police Force were destroyed by protesters.
Security agencies raise logistical concerns at every security meeting focused on the March 5 elections. As the commission plans to conduct the polls in a single phase, better-equipped security agencies are essential to ensure peaceful elections.
Even if India and China provide the requested vehicles, the security agencies will still face a shortfall. To address this, the government has allocated a budget to purchase 251 vehicles for different agencies.
The procurement includes 175 vehicles for the Nepal Police, 70 for the Armed Police Force, and six for the National Intelligence Department. The finance ministry has sanctioned Rs800 million for the Nepal Police, Rs440 million for the Armed Police, and Rs30 million for the intelligence department.
During her meeting with the chief ministers, Karki mentioned that the process of procuring vehicles for the police had already begun. Besides vehicles, the election commission has determined that it needs Rs7.8 billion to hold the elections. Most of this amount is allocated for human resource management.
It is important to note that this figure does not include the cost of security arrangements. A tripartite meeting between the commission, the government, and the security agencies concluded that temporary police need to be recruited, as the current security strength will not be sufficient for the March 5 elections.
There is a practice of recruiting youths as temporary police to be mobilized for around a month during the election period. Millions of rupees are spent on their payment and uniforms.