Kathmandu, Nepal April 25, 2022: The country has move forward into another important phase of electoral process for the local level election slated for coming May 13 with the completion of candidacy filing period on Monday.
As many as 136000 candidates have filed their nominations in all 753 local units across the country, an official at the Election Commission (EC) said on Monday night. A total of 35,221 representatives will be elected in the May 13 local level elections through the direct voting process.
As the EC officials were updating the records of the candidates till late night on Monday, it is estimated that the number of candidates would go up by the end. As many as 151,190 candidates had filed their candidacies in the first local level elections held in 2017.
Though the EC had allocated two days-April 24 and 25- for filing the candidacy, there were lines in almost all elections offices for filing the nominations until the evening on Monday. Consensus attempts made within the allies and the parties to select the candidates led to the delay to file the candidacy.
According to the election calendar, the EC will register complaints on Tuesday if any, against the candidates who have filed candidacies. The EC has scheduled to examine nomination as well as complaints lodged against of the candidates on April 27 and 28 and publish the name list of the candidacies on Thursday.
Likewise, candidates can withdraw their candidacy within office hours on April 29. Following withdrawn of the candidacy, the EC will publish the final list of the candidates at the same day and election symbol will be provided to the parties and candidates on April 30.
Nepal is going to hold second local level election since the promulgation of the constitution in 2015 to elect the representatives of the local units that include six metropolitan cities, 11 sub-metropolitan cities, 276 municipalities and 460 rural municipalities.
The allies of the incumbent government-Nepali Congress, CPN (Maoist Centre), CPN (Unified Socialist), Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) Nepal and Rastriya Janamorcha have forged electoral alliance in almost all the local units. It is said that the ruling allies have fielded their candidates in over 60 percent of local bodies.
Likewise, the main opposition CPN-UML has also filed its candidacy by forging electoral alliance with fringe parties namely as Rastriya Prajatrantra Party Nepal, Nepal Pariwar Dal.
