KATHMANDU, April 15: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya has said that the existing laws and social environment should be improved to increase the meaningful participation of women in elections.

Speaking in the inaugural session of an interaction on 'Elections and Women: Efforts, Achievements and Future Action Plan of Nepal', organized today by the Election Commission and the UN Women in the context of International Women's Day, CEC Thapaliya expressed concern over the trend of giving women's candidacy only in the positions considered binding by law and not ensuring the participation of women in the overall politics.

Thapaliya said that while Nepal has more elected representatives than many Asian countries, it doesn't fully reflect Nepal's constitutional aim of proportional inclusiveness. "In our understanding, the ability of women in politics has been devalued. They have been deprived of rights and opportunities in a competitive way," Thapaliya said.

According to CEC Thapaliya, overall, the environment for women's participation in elections has not been created enthusiastically. There have also been instances of violence against women involved in politics through social media, he said.

 
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