Kathmandu- The formal process for the House of Representatives elections scheduled for February 21 has begun, with political parties starting to submit their closed lists of candidates under the proportional representation (PR) system.
According to the election timetable, parties are required to submit their PR closed lists on February 13 and 14. Party representatives began arriving at the Election Commission office in Kantipath immediately after it opened on Sunday.
Kul Bahadur GC, Joint Spokesperson and Deputy Secretary of the Election Commission, said that parties had already claimed 135 proportional representation seats within the first hour of the office opening by obtaining official nissas (acknowledgement receipts).
“Within the first hour, 135 nissas have been taken by party representatives, and the flow of submissions is continuing,” GC told Nepal Pusle. He said that parties including the Nepal Mazdoor Kisan Party were among those that completed the initial process.
What is a ‘Nissa’ and What Comes Next?
A nissa is an official acknowledgement issued by the Election Commission confirming the submission of documents by political parties. After obtaining the nissa, parties must verify the personal details and eligibility of their proposed candidates in the format prescribed by the Commission and submit the final closed list accordingly.
The Election Commission will subsequently examine and verify the submitted lists.
For this election, a total of 100 political parties have registered to contest under the proportional representation system, competing through 93 different election symbols.
Election Schedule and Review Process
According to the Commission’s published schedule:
Closed lists for proportional representation must be submitted on February 13 and 14.
The Commission will scrutinize the submitted names from December 15 to 20.
Parties will be allowed to correct or reconcile errors between December 21 and 27.
The preliminary closed list will be published on January 4.
The final list of proportional representation candidates will be made public on January 20.
Pressure to Postpone, Commission Stands Firm
Despite the commencement of the election process, some political parties have urged the government to postpone the schedule by a few days. On Saturday, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba met Prime Minister Sushila Karki and requested a brief delay in the election timeline.
However, the Election Commission has stated that it will proceed strictly in accordance with the pre-announced election schedule.
