40 organizations, including 4 international bodies, approved to observe House of Representatives election

KATHMANDU: A total of 40 organizations, including four international bodies, have received approval to observe the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5.

According to Election Commission spokesperson and Joint Secretary Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, permission has been granted to 36 national and four international organizations to conduct election observation for the House of Representatives Member Election.

The Election Commission on Wednesday alone approved nine additional organizations for election observation. These include Garib Tatha Dalit Utthan Sewa Samiti Dolpa, Jansarokar Manch Nepal, Sustainable Rural Development Center, NADA Automobiles Association of Nepal, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Nepal Chamber of Commerce, Maswasit Nepal, Nepal Public Administration Association, and Nepal Law Society. With this decision, the total number of approved observer organizations has reached 40.

The commission said it will provide orientation programs to the approved national observer organizations and issue identity cards to observers deployed by them.

Meanwhile, under the election schedule, the submission of closed lists for the proportional representation system has already been completed. The Election Commission is currently scrutinizing the proportional representation candidate lists.

If adjustments are required to maintain cluster balance, the commission will formally notify the concerned political parties. Parties will be allowed to revise their lists until January 11. Candidates wishing to withdraw their names from the closed list may do so on January 12, and parties will be informed of such withdrawals on January 13.

Political parties have been given time until January 14 to nominate replacement candidates from the same group in case of vacancies created due to withdrawals. The commission will then publish the updated closed lists.

As per the schedule, the proportional representation candidate lists will be published on January 18, after which claims and objections regarding candidates’ eligibility can be filed from January 19 to 24. The commission will review and decide on these objections between January 25 and 31.

The final closed list of candidates will be published on February 3, while voting will take place on March 5 from 7 am to 5 pm at designated polling centers across the country.