KATHMANDU, May 24: In a bid to educate voters about the entire electoral process and the importance of the voting right in a democratic system, the Election Commission (EC) has come up with an Electoral Education and Information Center (EEIC).
Amid a function in the presence of Deputy Election Commissioner of Australian Election Commission Tom Roger and UNDP Country Representative Robert Piper, among others, President Ram Baran Yadav on Thursday morning inaugurated the newly established EEIC. The center was established with financial support from the Australian government and technical support from UNDP.
Addressing at the function, President Yadav said EEIC will play vital role in informing the people about the importance of free, fair and credible election in the country.
Acting Chief Election Commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety stated that EEIC was set up in order to inform the public about their political rights and responsibilities and to encourage them to exercise their right.
According to EC spokesperson Sharada Prasad Trital, EEIC has an exhibition hall/museum where there will be exhibition of election-related materials of historical and archeological importance from within the country and abroad. A mini theater at EEIC will have multimedia facility to disseminate information on democracy and election.
In the interactive zone of the center, the EC will be able to hold interaction on the issues of constitutional and electoral history, citizens´ rights and duties in electoral process, electoral system and voting process, among other issues.
Trital said that at the polling center/booth at EEIC, mock polling will be held to inform the public about electoral systems, processes and procedures.
"On an average a group of 40 visitors will be participated in a mock polling," said Chief of the EEIC Komal Dhamala.
The EEIC also has an e-library where visitors can read books, journals and newsletters on the evolution of democracy and elections in the world.
Likewise, the EEIC has a training center that will provide training on electoral matters and outreach programs for educating the local communities in their mother tongues about the voting process.
The EC officials claimed that the EEIC, which was constructed at the cost of Rs 50 million, is the second such center in the world after Australia.
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