Kathmandu- The percentage of inclusive groups under the proportional representation (PR) electoral system will now be determined according to the latest national census, following the promulgation of a new ordinance.
President Ramchandra Paudel on Friday issued the House of Representatives Member Election (First Amendment) Ordinance, 2082, on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers, in accordance with Article 114(1) of the Constitution.
The ordinance amends Schedule 1 of the House of Representatives Member Election Act, 2074, which previously fixed the percentage of inclusive groups based on the 2011 national census. The revised provision aligns inclusion quotas with population data from the 2021 census.
As per the amendment, the proportion of Dalits, Indigenous Nationalities, Khas Arya, Madhesi, Tharu, and Muslim communities in the PR system will now be calculated using the latest census figures.
Accordingly, political parties contesting the proportional representation system in the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5 will be required to submit closed lists of candidates based on the updated inclusion percentages. Parties applying under the PR system have been given December 28 and 29 to submit their candidate lists.
Election Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said the ordinance has made it easier to determine inclusive group quotas in line with the most recent census data.
