EC publishes HoR election schedule

KATHMANDU: The Election Commission (EC) has published the election schedule for the House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5.

According to the EC, a meeting held on Sunday decided to make public the schedules for both the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) and Proportional Representation (PR) electoral systems through its website and the Nepal Gazette.

Under the FPTP schedule, candidates will have to file their nominations on January 20 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The list of nominated candidates will be published on the same day from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

Objections against nominated candidates may be filed on January 21 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Complaints and nominations will be examined and decided upon from 3:00 pm that day until 5:00 pm on January 22. The updated list of candidates will then be published from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on the same day.

Candidates will be allowed to withdraw their names on January 23 between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm, following which the final list of candidates will be published the same day from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. The EC will then distribute election symbols from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

Similarly, the PR election schedule will commence on December 6. As per the schedule, political parties wishing to participate in the proportional representation system must submit applications from 10:00 am on December 7 until 4:00 pm on December 9. The EC will publish the list of applicant parties on December 10 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Parties are required to submit their closed lists of candidates on December 28 and 29 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The final closed lists of candidates will be published on February 3 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Voting will be held on March 5 from 7 am to 5 pm at designated polling centers.