EC’S ULTIMATUM TO GOVT. TO MEET CONDITIONS BY 22 JULY FOR CA POLLS 22 NOVEMBER Kathmandu, 21 June:- The Election Commission has given the government until July 22 to clear all legal hurdles if fresh Constituent Assembly elections are to be held as announced on November 22, Bhadra Sharma writes in The Kathmandu Post.. In a letter sent to the government, the EC has pointed out dozens of hurdles that will come on the way of the polls. "We have submitted to the government the list of the legal obstacles and the provisions to be amended for holding the elections," Madhu Regmi, the EC's legal chief, told the Post on Wednesday. "We need legal references 120 days before the elections. If the legal hurdles are not cleared by that time, holding the elections will not be possible," he added. The letter sent to Chief Secretary Madhav Ghimire on Wednesday has sought amendment to four provisions in the Interim Constitution and dozens of provisions in the Electoral Roll Act-2007, Election Act-2007 and the Constituent Assembly Election Act-2007. The Interim Constitution has a provision of holding the CA elections by 2008, while clause 7 states that a Nepali citizen attaining the age of 18 years by December 15, 2006 will be entitled to vote. While the EC has been informally advising the government to amend the constitution through the President's special powers to remove hurdles, it has suggested the other Acts be amended through ordinances. However, Wednesday's letter sent to the government is silent on this. According to the EC, the government will have to wait until April 2013 for the polls if fresh CA elections are not held in November this year. nnnn