Political Parties Must Obtain Registration Certificates Within 21 Days to Contest March 5 Election

KATHMANDU, October 26 — Political parties intending to participate in the upcoming House of Representatives election on March 5 must secure their party registration certificates within the next 21 days.

According to Election Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, parties are required to obtain the certificate by Kartik 21. He clarified, “The deadline of Kartik 30 is not for submitting the application; it is the final date to obtain the registration certificate.”

An official from the commission highlighted that delays in submitting registration applications could create procedural problems. Legally, the commission has 45 days to decide on any registration application, but given the approaching election, certificates will be issued promptly if all documents are complete. “Applications submitted by Kartik 25 can be processed, and certificates issued by Kartik 30,” the official said.

Currently, 16 parties have applied for registration. Nine submitted applications before the Gen Z movement, while seven applied afterward. All applications are under review. The commission reported that 124 parties are already registered. Two parties—Janamat Party and Nepal Janamukti Party—split to form new parties, Janaswaraj Party and another unnamed entity.

Pending applications face scrutiny over issues such as unclear constitutions, insufficient membership, or proposed election symbols. For example:

• Rastriya Janajati Party Nepal proposed the symbol “Crossed Khukuri” but was asked to change it.
• Rastriya Parivartan Party, led by Ajay Kumar, proposed “Flute.”
• Nepal Liberal Party, led by Gopilal Neupane, proposed “Coin.”
• Other parties previously applying include Nepal Citizen Party, Ujyalo Nepal Party, Shram Sanskriti Party, and Gatisheel Loktantrik Party, led by local leaders Hark Sampang and Dinesh Prasai, respectively.

Election Timeline:

• Registration for election purposes: Mangsir 1–10.
• Election officer offices for FPTP system: From Magh 2.
• Campaigning: Falgun 3–18, followed by a blackout period.
• Voting: Falgun 21, 7 am to 5 pm, followed by counting.
• Proportional representation system: Officer offices established on Mangsir 15, closed lists submitted on Poush 18–19.
• Parties wishing to contest must obtain their registration certificate by Kartik 30 and then register again during Mangsir 1–10 for election purposes.

This schedule ensures that only eligible and fully registered parties can participate in Nepal’s March 5 elections.