Kathmandu, 26 October
Political parties wishing to participate in the upcoming election on March 5 must obtain their party registration certificate within the next 21 days.
According to Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, spokesperson for the Election Commission, the schedule has been set so that parties must complete registration by Kartik 21. He clarified, “The date Kartik 30 is not for submitting the application; it is the deadline to obtain the registration certificate.”
An official from the commission noted that delays in submitting registration applications could create problems. Legally, the commission is required to decide within 45 days of receiving a registration application.
“Since the election is approaching, it cannot take the full 45 days. Practically, if all documents are complete, the registration certificate will be issued promptly,” the official said. “If applications are submitted by Kartik 25, certificates can be issued by Kartik 30.”
Currently, 16 parties have submitted applications for registration. According to Suman Ghimire, information officer at the Election Commission, nine applications were submitted before the recent Gen Z movement, and seven more parties applied afterward. All 16 applications are under review.
The commission reported that 124 parties are already registered. Two parties have split and registered as new parties: Janamat Party split to form Janaswaraj Party, and Nepal Janamukti Party also split to register a new party.
The commission is reviewing pending applications, noting issues such as unclear party constitutions or insufficient number of members for identification. Some parties have also been asked to change their proposed election symbols.
For instance, Rastriya Janajati Party Nepal proposed the symbol “Crossed Khukuri,” which the commission has requested to change. Rastriya Parivartan Party, led by Ajay Kumar, has applied with the symbol “Flute.” Nepal Liberal Party, led by Gopilal Neupane, has proposed “Coin” as its symbol.
Previously, Nepal Citizen Party, Ujyalo Nepal Party, Shram Sanskriti Party, and Gatisheel Loktantrik Party had submitted applications. Hark Sampang, mayor of Dharan, is the president of Shram Sanskriti Party, while Dinesh Prasai heads Gatisheel Loktantrik Party.
According to the approved schedule, parties intending to contest must obtain their registration certificate by Kartik 30. Registration for election purposes will then be held from 1 to 10 Mangsir. Offices of the election officers for the first-past-the-post system will be established from Magh 2.
Election campaigning will take place from Falgun 3 to 18, followed by a campaign blackout period. Voting will be held on Falgun 21 from 7 am to 5 pm, after which counting will begin once ballots from both electoral systems are collected.
For the proportional representation system, election officer offices will be established on Mangsir 15, and closed lists will be submitted on Poush 18 and 19.
As per the schedule, registration for election purposes will take place from Mangsir 1 to 10. Therefore, parties wishing to register anew must obtain their registration certificate by Kartik 30 and then register again from Mangsir 1 to 10 for election purposes.
