Calender for provincial, parliamentary polls out

Published On: September 12, 2017 03:00 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

KATHMANDU, Sept 12: The Election Commission (EC) on Monday unveiled the poll schedule for the provincial and parliamentary elections. The EC plans to hold the two elections simultaneously in two phases on November 26 and December 7.

The two elections will elect 165 members for the federal assembly and 330 members for the seven provincial assemblies under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) category. The exact numbers of representatives to be elected through the proportional representation system remain unclear.

The EC's board meeting on Monday endorsed a separate election timetable for the two rounds of polls outlining details of poll events comprising candidacy nomination, registering of complaints against the candidates, publishing final list of the candidates, providing election symbols and the polling days.

As per the schedule publicized amid a press conference on Monday, candidates contesting in the first phase of the polls will have to file their candidacies on October 22, while the candidacy nomination for the second phase would take place on November 2.

According to the EC, members of the public can file complaints against the candidates on October 22 for the first round of elections. Similarly, candidates who want to withdraw their candidacies can do so on October 25. The EC has said that it will provide poll symbols and publish the final list of the candidates on the same day (October 25).

Meanwhile, candidates contesting in the second round of the polls have been asked to register their candidacies on December 2. Candidates wishing to withdraw their candidacies can do so on December 5. The final list of candidates and poll symbols will be published on the same day.

Just like in the local polls, the EC is planning to start counting the votes as soon as the voting concludes. Parties would have to pick separate candidates for the FPTP electoral system and the proportional representation system, according to EC officials.