Confirming that it has completed all the preparations, the Election Commission (EC) has called the political parties and people to nominate their candidates on Tuesday for the first phase of the local level elections scheduled for May 14.

With the nomination of candidates, the country will enter into the phase of holding local elections for the first time in 20 years. The second phase of elections is scheduled to be held on June 14.

However, on the eve of the nomination date, there were apprehensions over the fate of elections stemming from a series events—delay in constitution amendment, impeachment of Chief Justice Sushila Karki, resignation of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party’s decision to withdraw from the government.

Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhee Prasad Yadav told a press meet on Monday that the election programme would move ahead. “I would like to call all the voters and political parties to participate in candidate nomination process scheduled for May 2 as there wouldn’t be any change in pre-determined election programme,” he declared.

Stating that all election materials have already been sent out to the districts, Yadav said that the nomination of candidates on Tuesday would clear all doubts and rumours about the elections.

The nomination process will begin in 283 local units, including 97 municipalities and metropolises, under 34 districts of Province 3, 4 and 6, according to the EC. Nominations can be filed from 10am until 5pm, the EC said, adding the parties will have to nominate their candidates at offices of the chief election officers and election officers in each local unit by paying certain deposits.

The candidates for mayor or deputy mayor of municipalities and those for chairperson or deputy chairperson of village councils have to deposit Rs1,500. The candidates for ward chairperson should pay Rs1,000 and those for ward member Rs500.

People filing candidacy representing the women, Dalit and minority communities, will have to pay half the normal deposit amount, the EC said. The election body also made it clear that the election code of conduct would be applicable to candidates after they register their nominations.

In the first phase of the elections, around 5 million voters will exercise their franchise at 7,200 polling centres, according to the EC. Offices of the chief election officers and election officers have been readied for the nomination process.

Even as the EC advances the election process, there were concerns over the election security following the resignation of Home Minister Nidhi.

But EC chief Yadav maintained that there would be a foolproof security for the elections. “The government has arranged three layers of security. We urge the security agencies to make security arrangements by following this security plan to the word,” Yadav said.