KATHMANDU:- The Election Commission, Nepal, has been making preparations to submit the report of the final results of the election for the members of the House of Representatives (HoR) held on March 5 to President around the third week of March.
Talking to the TRN Online, officiating chief election commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said, “We have received the results of the first-past-the-post (direct) electoral system. Vote count of the proportional electoral system is reaching the final stage, and probably it concludes by today. We are preparing to submit the HoR election report by 21 March to the President.”
Constitutional provision and process for government formation
As per Article 93 (1) of the Constitution of Nepal (2015), the President should call the session of the federal parliament within 30 days of the final result of the HoR election. That it, formal process for the formation of the new government starts once the EC submits the HoR election report to the President.
Article 76 states that the President will appoint the leader of the parliamentary party of the political party that has majority in the HoR as the Prime Minister. In case of lack of a political party with majority in HoR, an HoR member with support from two or more political parties who can secure majority can be appointed as the Prime Minister.
Following the submission of the report by the EC to the President, newly elected HoR member will be administered oath and then the political parties will elect their leader.
As the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has secured 125 seats in HoR under FPTP electoral system and it has already got over 5 million votes under proportional system, it is likely to have a two-third majority in 275-member HoR when FPTP and proportional seats are combined. Therefore, RSP is certain to form a government on its own.