KATHMANDU: With the vote count of the House of Representatives election held on March 5 nearing completion, preparations have begun to convene the federal parliament once the final results are officially announced.
According to the Federal Parliament Secretariat, arrangements are being made to call the House of Representatives meeting immediately after the Election Commission of Nepal publishes the final results.
Article 93 of the Constitution of Nepal outlines provisions regarding the summoning and prorogation of parliamentary sessions. Under the provision, the president must call a session of the federal parliament within 30 days of the declaration of the final election results for the House of Representatives.
However, the secretariat has historically not waited that long. Spokesperson Ekram Giri said the parliament session is usually called within one to two weeks after the final results are published.
“The secretariat issues a notice for the first parliamentary meeting after giving newly elected lawmakers about 10 days to arrive in Kathmandu,” Giri said. “During this period, the senior-most member takes the oath of office from the president and then administers the oath to other members of parliament.”
According to legal provisions, the senior-most lawmaker presides over parliamentary proceedings until the election of the Speaker.
Giri said the first meeting of the House will announce the election of the Speaker. Each political party will also be asked to nominate three lawmakers who can preside over the House in the Speaker’s absence. If there are ordinances issued by the government, they will be presented in the subsequent meeting.
Temporary hall to host House meetings
As the new federal parliament building is still under construction, the upcoming meetings of the House of Representatives will temporarily be held in another hall built for a different purpose.
Giri said technical arrangements are being made in a hall located between the under-construction buildings of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly.
According to the agreement signed on October 3, 2019, between the Ministry of Urban Development and the construction company Tundi Sewa Joint Venture, the federal parliament complex was supposed to be completed within three years, by October 1, 2022.
However, citing reasons including the COVID-19 pandemic, the construction has yet to be completed.
The project, being built on an area of 151 ropani, includes separate buildings for the House of Representatives and the National Assembly, a VIP block, and several other office structures. In total, the complex will include 12 buildings, eight of which will be main parliamentary structures.
The complex will feature a joint lobby with a seating capacity of 350, 10 parliamentary party offices of varying sizes, four additional VIP rooms, two secretariat buildings, a parliamentary library, two canteens with capacities of 100 and 300 people respectively, and parking space for 390 vehicles.
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