KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 8
The Election Commission has approved the election schedule for November 20 parliamentary and provincial polls, fixing October 9 for filing candidacy under the first-past-thepost election system.
The EC will publish names of the candidates the same day. On October 10, people will have a chance to lodge complaints against candidates, if any. On October 10 and 11, the poll panel will scrutinise nomination papers and investigate complaints lodged against candidates.
In accordance with the election schedule, candidates wishing to withdraw their candidacy can do so on October 12. The same day, the EC will publish the final lists of the candidates and allot election symbols to them.
The EC has given parties two days - September 18 and 19 - to submit PR candidates lists. The EC stated that a candidate whose name had been incorporated in the close proportional representation list would not be allowed to contest FPTP elections. It reminded parties of legal provisions that barred them from picking candidates from the PR list to let them contest FPTP elections and to allow candidates who had filed their candidacy under FPTP elections system to be incorporated into the PR list.
The EC stated that it had issued a show cause notice to representatives of local governments and district coordination committees who violated relevant laws that mandated them to submit election expenditure details within 30 days from the declaration of election results. The EC also asked violators why action should not be taken against them under Section 26 of the Election Commission Act. Section 26 of the act stipulates that the EC could impose fines on candidates who spend money during the election campaign beyond the ceiling fixed by the EC.
The poll panel can impose a fine not exceeding Rs 500,000 on the violators. If the erring candidates fail to pay fine within six months, the EC can bar them from contesting future elections for six years. They can also be removed from elected posts.
EC Spokesperson Shaligram Sharma Paudel told THT that out of 145,000 candidates who had contested local elections in May, 115,000 have not submitted election expenditure details at all and 8,000 candidates had submitted details but did not follow relevant laws and rules. Yesterday, the EC published the names of those candidates who had not submitted election expenditure details. He said this was being done to ensure accountability and transparency on the part of candidates.
Earlier, the EC had decided to set up 10,888 polling stations across the country for the November 20 polls. In the local polls held in May, the EC had set up 10,756 polling stations. The EC will give parties and candidates only 17 days to carry out their election campaigning.
The EC decided to do so after stakeholders urged it to shorten election campaign period keeping in mind the candidates' tendency to spend more money during the campaigning period to influence voters.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 9, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
