Government announce elections for the House of Representatives and the Provincial Assembly to be scheduled for November 20

Kathmandu: Election dates for the House of Representatives and the Provincial Assembly have been announced by the coalition government in charge.

The most recent statement states that both elections will take place on November 20 in one phase.

The Election Commission has always maintained that 120 days are required for election preparation. The commission will have 112 days to make preparations if elections are held on November 20.

Leaders with knowledge of the situation claim that Deuba’s plan is not to postpone the election since doing so may allow the communists to unite, which could be bad for his party, the Nepali Congress.

Even some Nepali Congress leaders sought to push out the polls to February, but Deuba rejected, according to a central member of the Congress.

The Congress wants to preserve at least 100 of the 165 constituencies where elections will be held under the directly elected system for the House of Representatives, therefore the ruling alliance partners have a difficult problem of seat-sharing. 110 of the 275 members of Nepal’s lower house are chosen through the proportional representation (PR) process. 330 seats in seven provincial assemblies will be decided by direct election, and 220 will be decided through proportional representation.

As a result of demands from its coalition partners for at least 80 of the 165 House seats, the Congress is under pressure.

The government additionally needs to cope with yet another issue. The ability of the House to conduct business after the election date is declared remains unclear.

A bill to alter the 2014 Commission on Investigation of Disappeared Persons, Truth and Reconciliation Act, has been registered by the government.

The current government wants the law to pass the House, but human rights advocates and war victims have raised concerns about several of its sections, alleging that they aim to offer amnesty even for significant human rights breaches.

Tags: Date, Election, HoR, Nepal Government, Nepali Congress, Provincial Assembly