KATHMANDU, July 26: A bill relating to the election of member of the House of Representatives has removed the provision of one candidate contesting from more than one constituency. 

The bill that is under consideration in the Legislature-Parliament has put such long practice to an end. 

The Article 14 of the bill has barred a person to contest from more than one constituency in the election to be held under the 'first-past-the-post election system'. Otherwise, the Election Commission shall cancel such candidacy. This provision shall be applicable in the proportional representation as well. 

The practice was in place as top leaders of political parties were contesting from more than one constituency with an aim to win at least one seat/constituency in the election. Such candidate had to give up one seat in case they won the election from both constituencies to pave the way for the EC to hold a fresh election there. 

Likewise, a candidate in the race for FPTP election would not be eligible to be included in the closed list of proportional nominees. Similarly, one candidate is not allowed to be included in the proportional representation name list from more than one political party. The bill has proposed that a candidate (for both FPTP and proportional system) be above 25 years of age at a time of the registration of candidacy, and the presentation of a closed name list under the PR system. 

The government has presented the Bill to hold all levels of elections--local, provincial and federal--within the stipulated timeframe (January 21, 2018). The Bill for the first time in the history of parliamentary system provisions a right to reject system for the directly elected members of the House of Representatives in parliamentary elections. 

The Bill also provisions that the concerned election commission will hold reelections by canceling ongoing or recently held election results if the polling station is captured or ballot papers are found destroyed in the course of vote count. 

As per the constitution, of the total 275 members of the House of Representatives, 165 are elected from first-past-the-post system while the remaining 110 from proportional representation. 

Meanwhile, the government has formed a constituency delimitation commission to determinate election constituencies. The commission is asked to submit the report within 45 days of starting its assigned task. The size of the transformed Legislature-Parliament has increased to 601 from earlier 205 members of the House of Representatives before the elections of the Constituent Assembly. RSS 

 
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