Parties, except NC, UML, decide to oppose ECN’s self-assessment procedure

KATHMANDU: A meeting of political parties, except the ruling coalition partners Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML, held in Kathmandu on Wednesday, has condemned the Political Party Self-Assessment Procedure, 2025, proposed by the Election Commission Nepal (ECN).

The meeting convened by CPN (Maoist Center) Chairperson, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, at the party’s parliamentary party office discussed the draft procedure prepared by the ECN. Speaking on the occasion, Dahal said the procedure was a ploy of the ruling parties to keep small parties under their control.

Last week, the ECN sent the draft to political parties to collect their feedback. The procedure proposes a system to evaluate parties based on their internal practices, with access to government-provided facilities linked to the evaluation outcomes.. According to the ECN, it aims to promote transparency and accountability within political parties.

Among others, the procedure requires political parties to assess their compliance with existing legal requirements. It outlines nine areas for evaluation, including legal compliance, strategic planning, identification of strengths and weaknesses, inclusive organizational structure and financial transparency, among others.

The meeting saw participation of representatives from the Maoist Center, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), CPN (Unified Socialist), Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP) Nepal, Janamat Party, Nagarik Unmukti Party and the Aam Janata Party, among others.

Participants said in the meeting that they should oppose the procedure since it was against the Constitution of Nepal and the Political Parties Act.