KATHMANDU, Dec 22: With 73 days left for the House of Representatives election slated for March 5, the Election Commission has set fresh rules for parties seeking to contest under the proportional representation, or PR, system.

Under the House of Representatives Member Election First Amendment Guidelines 2082, parties must submit a closed list of candidates that includes a minimum of 11 names and no more than 110. The list must follow revised inclusion ratios based on the latest national census.

The Election Commission has adjusted the composition of inclusive groups in line with the National Population and Housing Census 2021. To reflect updated population shares, Schedule 1 of the House of Representatives Member Election Act 2074 BS has been amended.

As per the new provision, parties must allocate 13.44 percent of their PR candidates to the Dalit community. Adibasi Janajati candidates must make up 28.72 percent of the list, while Khas Aryas account for 30.28 percent. Madhesi representation has been set at 16.15 percent, Tharu at 6.52 percent, and Muslim candidates at 4.89 percent.

The guidelines also require gender balance within each category. At least half of the candidates in every group must be women.

Parties registered for the proportional representation system have been given December 28 and 29 to submit their closed lists to the Election Commission in line with the revised framework.

People’s News Monitoring Service

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