About 380 votes have been cast as of 11:30 am today in the ongoing election for the new leadership of CPN (UML) under the 11th General Convention at Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu.
Voting via electronic voting machines began at 9:00 am today. Despite the use of machines, voters have complained that the process is taking a significant amount of time.
One convention delegate, after casting his vote, told Nepalkhabar, "It takes 25 to 30 minutes even for those who know how to use it. For those who need to look through the name list, it takes up to 50 minutes."
Arrangements have been made to prioritize voters with disabilities, and those unable to vote on their own are allowed to choose a person of their choice to assist them.
Key election details
Infrastructure: 80 voting machines have been used.
Complexity: Each voter must cast votes for approximately 300 candidates.
Positions: The election will select a 301-member Central Committee, including,
1 Chairperson
5 Vice-chairpersons
1 General Secretary
3 Deputy General Secretaries
9 Secretaries
Candidates: There are roughly 650 candidates representing the two panels led by rivals KP Sharma Oli and Ishwar Pokharel.
The voting process
Touch screen display: Upon entering the booth, voters see a certified electronic display. The screen shows the names and photos of the candidates. Voters must touch the photo of their preferred candidate. Once selected, a Swastika symbol appears on the photo to indicate the vote has been successfully cast.
Sequential voting: The machine is programmed according to the order of positions (from top to bottom). Voters must vote for positions in order of hierarchy (e.g., Chairperson, then Vice-chairperson, then General Secretary, etc.).
Confirmation message: Once the voting for all candidates is recorded by the machine’s counting unit, a "beep" sound or an audio message confirms that the voting was successful.
When will the results be out?
While the voting process is time-consuming, the counting will not take long. Since the voting is electronic, aggregating the data from the 80 machines and official verification by the Election Commission is expected to take about 4 to 5 hours.
.
