Kathmandu, September 5: The chief election commissioners of the SAARC member countries of the forum who came to Nepal to attend the 12th conference of the common platform of electoral bodies of South Asian countries called on President Ramchandra Paudel today. In the meeting, President Paudel stated that periodical elections are the cornerstone of democracy and expressed the view that people's access and ownership of the state will be established through this. He also said that in order to establish people's access and ownership over the state, elections should be clean, fair and rigged The conference also expressed its best wishes for cooperation in making the elections in South Asian countries more free, fair and fearless. I am confident that their invaluable contribution will continue through this organization for the promotion and strengthening of democracy through the election system. President Paudel, as the president, will continue to commit Nepal to strengthen mutual support and cooperation with other member countries to achieve the common objectives of this organization and face challenges collectively. Also clarified during this, Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Thapalia informed President Paudel about the 12th Conference of Common Forum of Electoral Bodies of South Asian Countries, according to the President's Office. Heads and representatives of election offices of SAARC countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Maldives were present on the occasion. People’s News Monitoring Service.