The commission has also suggested reducing the number of members in the House of Representatives, National Assembly, and Provincial Assemblies.
We use Google Cloud Translation Services. Google requires we provide the following disclaimer relating to use of this service:
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, expressed or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.
The Election Commission has proposed to reduce the number of commissions from five to three, including the chief commissioner. The commission made the proposal after sending suggestions to the task force formed by the government to prepare a proposal for constitutional amendment.
Article 245 of the Constitution provides for the Election Commission to have a chief commissioner and four commissioners. Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said that it has been recommended to amend the structure of the commission in a timely manner. The task force led by Prime Minister's advisor Asim Shah, which is working to prepare a proposal for constitutional amendment, had sought suggestions from the commission. The commission, in response to its suggestions, has proposed to reduce the number of commissioners.
'We have also suggested that the commission be made more agile and efficient,' Bhandari told Kantipur, 'This will also reduce the financial burden on the state and make it easier for the commission to work.'
The commission has had one acting chief and two commissioners for more than a year. Bhandari says that the commission can be restructured by having only a Chief Election Commissioner and two commissioners. Such a suggestion has been sent after a decision was made in the commission meeting. The commission has proposed that one of the three commissioners should be an administration expert, one a legal expert and one an information technology expert. ‘There is no need for more than a chief and two commissioners,’ Bhandari said, ‘We have even suggested that this can be done since preparations are underway to amend the constitution.’
Similarly, the commission has proposed that the provision for the commission to set the date for periodic elections to the House of Representatives, provincial assemblies and local levels be included in the constitution. The commission has proposed that the power to set the date for elections be included in the constitution, from the conduct of elections to the functions, duties and powers. The commission has been raising this issue for a long time. Currently, the government has been setting the date for the election in consultation with the commission. Similarly, the commission has also suggested that a provision should be made in the constitution so that the regulation and management of political parties be done by the commission.
The commission has also sent suggestions to reduce the number of members of the House of Representatives, the National Assembly and the Provincial Assembly. The commission has proposed to increase the number of members of the House of Representatives from 77 to 105 members, with one person from each district represented directly, and from 28 to 105 members from proportional representation. Similarly, the commission has proposed to reduce the 59-member National Assembly to 30 and to remove the proportional election system from the Provincial Assembly. Acting Chief Commissioner Bhandari informed that suggestions have been sent in this regard to make the House of Representatives, the National Assembly and the Provincial Assembly more efficient, faster and more relevant.
The commission has also proposed a constitutional provision that allows the Speaker of the National Assembly to also assume the responsibilities of the Vice President. A suggestion has also been made to amend the constitution so that the Prime Minister can form a Council of Ministers with experts from outside the parliament. For that, the commission has suggested adding a provision to the constitution and removing the constitutional provision that if a person who is not an MP becomes a minister, he must become a member of the federal parliament within 6 months.
The Election Commission has also suggested abolishing the District Coordination Committee system and making local level elections non-partisan. The Commission has concluded that ward committees and village/town assemblies can be made more efficient by arranging a chairperson and two ward members in wards of rural municipalities and municipalities.
The Commission has also proposed that the minimum age for candidates to be candidates for the House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly should be 21 years. Currently, only those who have completed 25 years of age can be candidates for the House of Representatives or Provincial Assembly. The Commission has also suggested that the current constitutional provision of 35 years of age for candidates to be candidates for the National Assembly should be changed to 30 years.
Similarly, the Commission has also suggested that the age limit for appointment of officials of the Constitutional Commission should be 40 years through an amendment to the constitution. Among the various qualifications specified in the constitution for appointment to the Constitutional Commission, there is a provision that the age of 45 years should be completed.
