A total of 114 political parties will contest the upcoming House of Representatives election on March 5, with 107 different election symbols, according to the Election Commission (EC).
The EC spokesperson, Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, confirmed that out of 120 parties that applied to participate, 114 have been approved.
While 102 parties will compete individually, each using their own separate election symbol, 12 parties will participate jointly in various groups, using only five shared election symbols in total.
The EC has approved 114 parties to participate jointly, with groups of two or three parties pooling together under a single symbol.
Parties gear for polls as March 5 nears
The EC has initiated the election program for the Proportional Representation (PR) system, which began this Sunday. Parties interested in the PR system can apply until Tuesday. Applications will be reviewed and approved by December 12.
The deadline for submitting the closed list of PR candidates is December 28 and 29. The EC has mandated that 50% of the candidates in the closed list must be women.
The schedule for the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) system has been set, with the candidate nomination process slated for January 20.
Party priorities and demands
Several political parties are actively preparing for the election and putting forth their core issues. Samabeshi Samajbadi Party President Numa Limbu stated the party is expanding its structures at all levels and focusing on the participation of marginalized communities, including gender and sexual minorities, indigenous groups, and those from the entertainment sector.
Nepal Workers Peasants Party Secretary Prem Suwal highlighted demands for free education and health services, job creation for youth within the country, ceiling of property limits for Nepali citizens, a ban on holding property abroad, and the socialization of key means of production and services. The party also advocates for the abrogation of unequal treaties and agreements.
Political parties are currently visiting the EC to submit their applications to participate in the Proportional Representation system.
.
