KATHMANDU: The Election Commission (EC) has established the Office of the Election Officer for the proportional representation (PR) election system, ahead of the House of Representatives (HoR) election scheduled for March 5, 2026.
The office was set up on Monday within the Commission’s premises. According to Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari inaugurated the new office. With its establishment, Commission Secretary Mahadev Panta, appointed as the PR Election Officer, has formally assumed responsibility.
Joint Secretary Yagya Prasad Bhattarai has been designated as the Assistant Election Officer. A total of 41 staff members will be deployed for PR election management. Under the proportional system, 110 of the 275 seats in the House of Representatives will be filled.
Acting Chief Election Commissioner Bhandari expressed confidence that centralizing all PR-related tasks under the new office would streamline the process for all stakeholders. He added that representatives would be selected through a formula-based method—using data from the National Statistics Office and categorizing candidates by ethnicity, geography and gender in line with legal requirements—ensuring trust among political parties.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Rameshore Prasad Khanal and Law Minister Anil Kumar Sinha held discussions with the Acting Chief Election Commissioner and other commissioners on the state of preparations and government support for the upcoming elections.
Finance Minister Khanal pledged that the Commission would not face any budget shortages, while Minister Sinha, who also oversees the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies, promised necessary legal support and urged the Commission to prioritize domestic goods and products in the election process.
Spokesperson Bhattarai said the discussions would help ensure that both the House of Representatives and National Assembly elections are conducted in a clean, free, fair, and fearless manner.
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