Kathmandu, October 8

Election Commissioner Ila Sharma today said that the Election Commission was pushing for single transferable vote (STV) system in the National Assembly election.

Addressing an orientation programme organised by the EC on proportional representation electoral system here, Commissioner Sharma said that STV system was needed to ensure proportional inclusion in the National Assembly.

“We suggest that the National Assembly member election laws should be formulated in a way that the National Assembly would be proportionally inclusive,” said Sharma. She said it would be against spirit of constitution if National Assembly did not ensure proportional representation.

The poll panel said orientation on the proportional representation system was hosted to facilitate the parties to rightly choose candidates under the proportional category for the federal and provincial elections.

Commissioner Narendra Dahal said the training would help the parties clear ambiguities in the course of submitting closed lists for proportional representation seats. Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Shah warned that the EC would take stern action against those violating the election code of conduct during the elections.

The provincial and parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held on November 26 and December 7. Of the 91 parties registered for the first-past-the-post elections, only 88 parties have applied for the proportional representation seats.

The election body said political parties have to submit their closed lists of proportional representation candidates to the EC on October 15.

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