Kathmandu, June 6

The Election Commission today registered the Nepal Communist Party (NCP).

Election Commissioner Narendra Dahal told THT that although  Nepal Communist Party (NCP)  failed to include 33 per cent women leaders in the central committee of the newly formed party, the poll panel decided to register the party hoping that the party would later fulfil the legal criterion of including 33 per cent women leaders in the CC.

“None of the parties registered with the EC has fulfilled the legal criterion of having 33 per cent in its central committee and the EC believes that they will later fulfil that criterion.

He added that the EC decided to register NCP (NCP) because there was no other party with the same name. NCP changed its name to NCP (NCP) after it found

that there was one party with the name of NCP led by Rishi Kattel.

The EC had been discussing since yesterday whether or not to register NCP (NCP).

The discussion was held among the office bearers of the EC, secretary and chiefs of concerned divisions of the EC after receiving required documents from NCP.

In the 441-member central committee, the NCP (NCP) only has 16 per cent women representatives. According to Article 15 (4) of Political Party Registration Act, a political party should have at least one-third women representatives in all its committees.

Co-chairpersons KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal assured women leaders that 33 per cent representation would be ensured after the next general convention.

He said they should know the special circumstances in which CPN-UML and CPN-MC merged.