KATHMANDU: Newly-elected Members of the House of Representatives took oath of office and secrecy today at the Federal Parliament, New Baneswor.

The eldest member of the Lower House, Pashupati Shumsher Rana of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) administered the oath and secrecy to the newly-elected members of the House of Representatives on Thursday afternoon.

According to the Federal Parliament Secretariat, 26 members took oath in different 14 mother tongues.

In accordance with Article 88 of the Constitution, every member of each House of the Federal Parliament must, before taking part for the first time in the session of the House or any of its committees, take an oath as provided for in the Federal law.

Octogenarian member Rana took the oath before President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Wednesday as the HoR seniormost by age.

Prior to the oath-taking ceremony, in a meeting summoned by him, Federal Parliament Secretariat general secretary Dr Bharat Raj Gautam briefed the newly elected members about the oath-taking procedures.

The 275-member HoR is a body of 165 directly elected members and 110 Proportional Representation (PR) members.

Before the oath-taking ceremony, general secretary Gautam congratulated and best wishes to all the members-elect.

The eldest HoR member takes the oath of office and secrecy from the President and he/she administers the oath of office and secrecy to other members later, as per the constitutional provision.

There is a constitutional provision that the seniormost member of the House of Representatives by age among the members present will preside over the meeting of the House in case the Speaker and Deputy Speaker has not been elected or both the posts remaining vacant.