Kathmandu, Dec 9: The Election Commission (EC) on Monday opened the Office of the Election Officer for the proportional representation (PR) electoral system for the House of Representatives (HoR) election scheduled for March 5, 2026. The office has been set up within the EC premises in the federal capital.
Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari inaugurated the office, according to EC Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai.
Following its establishment, EC Secretary Mahadev Pantha has assumed the role of Election Officer for the PR system, while Joint Secretary Yagya Prasad Bhattarai has been appointed Assistant Election Officer. A total of 41 staff members have been deployed to manage the PR election process.
Under the existing electoral provisions, the 275-member House of Representatives is elected through two systems: direct election and proportional representation. Of these, 165 members are elected directly, while the remaining 110 are chosen through the PR system. For the direct (first-past-the-post) election, the programme for filing nominations at the respective election offices is scheduled for January 20.
On the occasion, Acting Chief Election Commissioner Bhandari expressed confidence that the establishment of the Office for the PR system would help streamline the process for all stakeholders.
He added that representatives under the PR system will be selected based on ethnic, geographic, and gender categories through a formula-based allocation method, with technical support from the National Statistics Office (NSO), ensuring wider trust.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Rameshore Prasad Khanal and Minister for Law Anil Kumar Sinha held discussions with the Acting Chief Election Commissioner and other EC officials regarding election preparations. Their discussions focused on the government support required to ensure free and fair elections.
Minister Khanal also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing the necessary budget for the EC to conduct the polls. #election #nepal
