KATHMANDU, Oct 29: The government has decided to hold elections for 18 out of the 19 seats that will soon be vacant in the National Assembly on January 25. The decision was made during Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting.
One of the remaining positions will be filled through a presidential nomination on the government’s recommendation. As per legal provisions, the election must be conducted at least 35 days before the term expires. The tenure of 19 National Assembly members is set to end on March 4.
The cabinet also decided to reduce the benefits and facilities enjoyed by federal parliamentary officials.
EC begins preparations for Jan 25 National Assembly elections
According to Minister for Communication and Information Technology Jagadish Kharel, the government has decided to amend the schedule of the Remuneration and Facilities Act, 2073 BS related to federal parliamentary officials.
Currently, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Chairperson of the National Assembly have been employing up to eight staff members—from under-secretaries to office assistants—in their secretariats. Similarly, the Deputy Speaker, Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives, and Deputy Chairperson of the National Assembly were entitled to six staff members each.
Leaders of the ruling and opposition parties in the National Assembly, along with chief whips and committee chairpersons, were each allowed to appoint five personal staff members.
However, Minister Kharel did not specify how much the benefits had been reduced. The government had earlier decided not to provide personal secretaries to lawmakers, as many had been appointing relatives and party cadres to those posts.
Since such changes cannot be made through a Cabinet decision alone, the government will need to amend the Remuneration and Facilities Act for Federal Parliamentarians through an ordinance.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet also approved President Ramchandra Paudel’s official visit to Doha, Qatar, scheduled for November 3–6.
