EC calls for registration of political parties

KATHMANDU: The Election Commission (EC) has called for the registration of political parties giving 11-day time so that they could take part in the coming May 13 local level election. 

The EC slated the party registration time for two weeks from today. A notice has been issued to this regard. The political parties are asked to submit the formal applications along with the sample of signatures of the office-bearers. The political management section at EC is looking after the registration process. 

As per the Constitution of Nepal and Act on Political Parties, any political party willing to take part in the election must be registered at EC.

Along with the formal application, the parties should present party statute, manifesto, regulation, flag, sample of election symbol, arrangement of at least 21 central members in the central committee, and auditing reports of the previous fiscal year. 

Similarly, the political parties must have reflected the country’s diversity in their executive committee. The statute and regulation must be democratic and each office bearers of the party at federal and provincial levels elected once in five year.

Currently, there are 119 political parties registered at EC. Among the political parties which took part in the 2074 BS election, 18 parties had representation in the local level.

Although formation of the party was initiated before 2007BS, the Interim Statute formulated after 2007BS democratic movement provided legitimacy to the party registration in Nepal.

It was Praja Parishad to be formed as the first political party in Nepal on Jesth 20, 1993BS. The EC chronicles that Nepali Rastriya Congress was formed in 2003BS, Nepali Congress in 2005BS, Nepal Communist Party in 2006BS and Gorkha Parisad in 2007BS.

The political parties have been registered at EC since the first general election in the country in 2015BS. Currently, 119 political parties are registered and in existence. 

The Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal, 2015 had provided in the fundamental rights that Nepali citizen could register political parties. Although the royal coup in 2017BS banned the political parties, the restoration of democracy in 2047BS revived this right. RSS