Nepali Times: So how are preparations coming along?
Bhojraj Pokhrel: The Commission is busy finalising its technical preparations.

.and you think elections will really take place on 22 November?
There is only one date in our calendar. And that is 22 November. We are ready and prepared for the elections.

But are the political parties and their leaders in the government prepared?
We are happy that the parties are with us. Their support keeps us going.

But you have expressed concern about the security situation.
When we talk about election and security, there are many stakeholders responsible for it. The security agencies have a responsibility of enforcement, the political parties have to campaign, the government and the civil society also have roles to play. Security is of paramount importance to the election. The Election Commission alone cannot hold the election. At best, we are a coordinating body.

What is the one thing that stands in the way of holding a credible election?
We shouldn't hold elections for the sake of it. The November election is a key component of the peace-building process. If everyone does their part, we can hold a successful election.

The parties are not yet in an election mode, is that affecting your work?
The election itself is a political agenda, it is the agenda of the political parties, and I don't think that they will want to be left behind in promoting their agenda. But sure, the civil society and others need to focus on the key actors in the process and their activities so that they do not forget whose agenda it is. But election campaigning will speed up once we finalise the election programs.

Because of the floods in the tarai and other circumstances, things haven't quite paced up, but I am confident it will gradually build its own momentum.

United, they stand

After weeks of wrangling and dispute over who should be more senior, leaders of the NC and NC-D say they are on the verge of unity.

"We are doing our homework and we hope to announce unification by next week," Ram Krishna Tamrakar of the NC told us. NC-D leader Sher Bahadur Deuba's threatened to walk out of unity talks if party unity didn't happen by 15 August. The five-time prime minister's tantrum seems to have worked.

The NC-D says it is the NC that was holding things up. "We are clear on the unity, if anyone is not it's them," says Bimalendra Nidhi, NC-D's general secretary.

Deuba wants the simultaneous merger of both the local and central committees, while the NC wants to just do the central committee for now and leave districts for later. The NC-D is also proposing a leadership panel at the central level comprising of Deuba and Koirala to sort out any outstanding issues until the unified convention of the party takes place.

"The unity process is going through labour pains," says NC leader Anand Prasad Dhungana, "but the baby will be born soon."

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