Election 71 days away: Parties intensify PR list preparations

KATHMANDU: With 71 days remaining until the election of members of the House of Representatives (HoR), political parties have stepped up internal preparations, particularly for the proportional representation system.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission (EC) is moving ahead with preparations for the National Assembly and House of Representatives elections simultaneously.

The Commission has already appointed district judges as election officers for the National Assembly member election scheduled for January 25, 2026. At the same time, as the deadline for submitting closed lists of candidates under the proportional representation system draws closer, political parties have intensified consultations and internal discussions.

Parties represented in the dissolved House of Representatives, along with newly registered parties, are engaged in the process of finalizing their proportional lists. On Tuesday, President Ram Chandra Paudel held discussions with Prime Minister Sushila Karki and top leaders of the three major political parties.

With the government and the Election Commission advancing their preparations, the overall election environment is gradually becoming more conducive.

According to Election Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, a total of 93 political parties have applied to participate in the proportional representation system for the House of Representatives election. The Commission has already issued a detailed work schedule for parties taking part in the proportional election.

The deadline for forming inclusive groups under the revised population-based percentages and submitting closed candidate lists has been set for December 28 and 29. To facilitate this process, the Commission has provided training to political parties on candidate selection under the proportional system.

These measures aim to ensure smoother implementation of the revised proportional representation framework, which is based on population data from the National Census 2078 BS and reflects changes in the size of various inclusive groups.