EC assessing applications for party registration

Kathmandu, Oct 24: The Election Commission (EC) is currently assessing the documents of five new political parties that have applied for registration following the announcement of fresh elections to the House of Representatives.

According to the EC, the documents submitted by these parties are under consideration. While any party can apply for registration at any time, the Commission noted that the trend has increased notably after the formation of the incumbent interim government founded on the September 8-9 Gen Z movement and the announcement of new elections, suggesting the growing participation of youth in politics.

EC Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai stated that applications meeting the required criteria will be approved.

The Shram Sanskriti Party, led by the Mayor of Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City, Harka Sampang, applied for registration on September 23. Similarly, the Nepal Nagarik Party, headed by advocate Surendra Bhandari, applied on 25. The Gatisheel Loktantrik Party, led by Dinesh Raj Prasai with the proposed election symbol Jyoti (Light), filed its application on October 16. The Nepal Liberal Party, led by Gopilal Neupane with the proposed symbol Coin, and the Rastriya Gen Z Party, led by Hira Prasad Soti with the proposed symbol Crossed Khukuri, both submitted their applications on October 19. 

The EC has stated that no other party suggesting a specific age group with the election symbol of Crossed Khukuri has yet claimed the registration. A decision regarding its allocation will be made in accordance with existing laws and practices.

Meanwhile, the applications of 10 political parties submitted before the announcement of the election have been disapproved for failing to meet the required documentation standards. Among these are Ujyalo Nepal and the Rastriya Pariwartan Party.

Prior to these new applications, 122 political parties had been registered with the EC. With the split of two existing parties, the total number has now reached 124. 

According to the election schedule approved by the commission on October 6, the notice for party registration for election purposes will be published on November 14.

The Election Commission will provide a period of 10 days from November 17 to 26 for the parties to get registered for election purpose. Only those parties that register in this manner will be allowed to apply for registration as parties for the proportional electoral system. (RSS)