64 Political Parties Submit PR Closed Lists as Country Enters 'Election Mode'

A total of 64 political parties have submitted their closed lists of candidates under the Proportional Representation (PR) system for the upcoming March 5 House of Representatives election, marking the country’s formal entry into election mode.

Although the Election Commission (EC) had set Monday, December 29, as the deadline for submission, the process continued until late Monday night and into Tuesday morning due to last-minute political realignments and coordination among parties, according to EC officials.

Election Commission Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said the closed lists were submitted at the PR election officer’s office at the EC headquarters in Bahadur Bhawan. He said submissions continued late into the night as several parties were engaged in unity and cooperation talks.

A total of 3,424 candidates from the 64 parties have been listed for 110 PR seats in the House of Representatives. Of the submitting parties, 54 have fielded candidates under their own election symbols, while 10 parties have used shared election symbols.

The EC had initially received applications from 93 political parties seeking to contest the PR system.

As per the EC’s election calendar, the submitted closed lists will be examined from December 30 to January 4. Political parties will be given time from January 5 to January 11 to correct errors or submit missing documents, if required. The revised lists will be reviewed from January 12 to January 17, and the final PR candidate list will be published on February 3.

Meanwhile, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Jagadish Kharel said the country has officially entered full election mode with the registration of PR closed lists at the Election Commission.

Addressing a programme to announce and launch the Smart Post Office Service in Gorkha on Monday, Minister Kharel said debates over whether the election would be held on March 5 had now ended.

“The election will be held on March 5 in a peaceful and fearless manner within the stipulated time,” said Kharel, who also serves as the government’s spokesperson.

He expressed confidence that the interim government and political parties would be able to conduct the election smoothly, noting that Nepal has successfully held elections even under difficult circumstances in the past.

“The first and foremost condition for the election is peace and security. The interim government is creating a favourable environment so voters can cast their ballots without fear,” he said, adding that security agencies were fully prepared.

The interim government, formed following the Gen-Z movement of September 8 and 9 under the leadership of Prime Minister Sushila Karki, is mandated to conduct the fresh election and has already announced March 5 as the polling date.

Minister Kharel also urged eligible voters to actively participate in the election and choose capable representatives. He said discussions were ongoing on issues such as e-voting, voting rights for Nepalis abroad, and inter-district and alternative voting systems. -- RSS