KATHMANDU: Big and fringe parties shared contrasting views on whether an election threshold should be set to let parties represent in the provincial and federal legislatures under the proportional representation system.

While the Election Commission interacted with them seeking their views on a draft bill, the big parties said threshold of at least five per cent should be set to ensure political stability at provincial and federal parliaments.

The fringe parties, however, said the threshold provision should be completely removed.

The Commission has proposed that parties which secure at least 1.5 per cent votes in the proportional representation election system in elections of the Provincial Assembly and the House of Representatives get a seat.

Speaking at the interaction today, leaders of Nepali Congress and CPN-UML asked the Commission to increase the threshold up to five per cent for election to the House of Representatives and up to seven per cent for the election to the Provincial Assembly.

Nepali Congress leader Min Bahadur Bishwakarma, meanwhile, also suggested the government to make policies to encourage women candidates' participation in first-past-the-post election system.

Lawmakers Gopal Dahit, Rukmini Chaudhary and Shivaji Yadav, representing the fringe parties, however, argued that there should not be any threshold.