KATHMANDU: The Election Commission (EC) is likely to issue party registration certificates to the new parties led by former CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, and another one led by former Janata Samajbadi Party Chair Mahanta Thakur.
According to EC sources, the Commission is working to issue a new party registration certificate owing to the pressure of the ruling alliance led by Nepali Congress.
As there will be a three-day public holiday including Saturday from August 21 onward, the new parties formed after the issuance of the ordinance to amend the Political Parties Act 2017, are likely to get the registration certificate today.
Earlier, the petition was registered under the name of CPN-UML Socialist, but it was corrected after the commission said that it was not possible to register a new party having the same name UML in it. As per the advice from the lawyers, the Nepal faction has renamed its party as Nepal Communist Party (Socialist).
CPN-UML has been pressuring Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota to authenticate the action the party has taken against 14 lawmakers including leader Nepal.
To ease the pressure the Speaker has been facing, the ruling coalition is planning to neutralize the UML’s action by registering Nepal’s party as soon as possible.
Based on the ordinance on political parties issued on Wednesday, the Election Commission has already issued ‘Political Parties (Second Amendment) Rules, 2021’.
Following the publication of the rules in the Gazette, the way has been paved for the registration of the party on the demand of the Nepal faction and the Mahantha Thakur faction.
Earlier, the process of registration of new parties could not proceed due to lack of regulations.
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