Nomination of presidential candidates today

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Feb. 25: The nomination for the election to the President will take place on Saturday. The Office of the Election Officer informed that arrangements for the registration of candidacy for the post of the President have been made at the Lhoste Hall of the Federal Parliament Building, New Baneshwor. 

The nomination of the candidates will be registered at the Office of the Election Officer on Saturday, said Amrita Kumari Sharma, Assistant Election Officer of the Office of the Election Officer. 

The Election Commission (EC) has called for candidacy nomination from those aspiring to become the new President of the country.

Those interested in contesting the post can register their candidacy from 10 am to 3 pm Wednesday at the EC’s temporary office set up on the premises of the Parliament Building, said Sharma.

The list of the candidates registered within the given deadline will be made public on Friday itself. 

The following day has been allocated to lodge complaints against  the candidacy while an investigation will be made on the complaints later. The electoral body has planned to publish the list of candidates on  February 27. The candidates can withdraw their names from the fray on February 28 and the final list of the candidates will be published on the same day.

The voting will take place from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm on March 9. 

As per the constitutional provision, a candidate of the President must secure 50 per cent of the total of weightage of 52,628 votes in the Electoral College to get elected. 

In the presidential election, there are 882 voters in total, including 332 members of the Federal Parliament and 550 members of seven Provincial Assemblies,  according to the final voters list published by the EC on Friday. 

There are 334 members in the federal parliament, including 275 of the House of Representatives and 59 of the National Assembly. However, out of 334 only 332 have  been listed in the voters list as one seat of HoR is vacant and one lawmaker is suspended. 

A vote cast by a member of both the Upper and Lower Houses of the Federal Parliament will have the weight of 79 votes while a vote cast by a member of the Provincial Assembly will have the weight of 48 votes.

Since no party has a clear majority, one candidate needs support of at least two or more parties to get elected to the post of the president. If none of the candidate receives a majority in the first round of voting, there will be a run-off between the top two candidates. If the two candidates end up getting equal votes, the winner will be decided through lottery.  The EC has scheduled the election of the Vice President for March 17.