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The Finance Bill, 2080 BS and the Bill to Raise National Debt, 2080 BS have been tabled in a meeting of the National Assembly, the upper house of the Federal Parliament, today. National Assembly Secretary Dr Surendra Aryal tabled the two bills along with the message received from the House of Representatives. Deliberations on the Appropriation Bill will continue in the National Assembly meeting today also. In this connection, the upper house is deliberating on the budget allotted to the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. Proposals for reduction in the budget apportioned to these ministries in the Appropriation Bill have also been presented in the National Assembly meeting today.    

Senior leaders of major political parties along with the Speaker have agreed to pick the President of the Parliamentary Committee. In the meeting held on Tuesday, Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, main opposition party leader and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba along with Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire have agreed to pick the Parliamentary Committee President at the earliest. Emerging from the meeting held at the Speaker’s office in Singha Durbar this morning, Speaker Ghimire said that the leaders have agreed to finalize the President of the Parliamentary Committee as soon as possible. “Leaders have expressed their commitment to pick the President of the Parliamentary Committee immediately,” Ghimire said, adding, “The Committee will get the leadership soon. As there is no leadership, the meeting is being conducted by the senior member. The discussions on the bills have not been able to move ahead as the senior member is leading the Committee.” He said that the discussion was also held to take the Parliamentary activities ahead in an effective way. Similarly, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dhan Raj Gurung said the leaders have agreed to elect the President as soon as possible. The 10 thematic committees of the House of Representatives were formed on April 28. A meeting of the 10 committees was held at the same time on May 16 two weeks after the formation of the Committee. The Committee, however, could not hold discussions on the bills as the President could not be elected on time.  

The Election Commission has suggested a number of measures, including incorporation of the right to reject in the ballot paper, to make elections free, fair, transparent and reflective of the public pulse. A meeting of the EC held on Monday decided to forward a draft Bill to amend and consolidate laws relating to elections to the Parliament through the Ministry of Home Affairs. The draft has suggested including in the ballot paper an option—None of the Above (NOTA)—that will enable the voter to reject all of the candidates if they so wish. This recommendation is in keeping with a 2014 Supreme Court ruling that had directed the government to change electoral laws to give voters the option to reject all candidates if they so wish. If NOTA votes exceed 50 percent of total valid votes cast in any election, such election shall be canceled, the EC has proposed. This is not the only measure that the EC has suggested. It has proposed making a law barring an individual from serving as a member of parliament for more than two terms under the proportional representation system. The EC has also recommended that arrangements be made to enable Nepali voters based abroad to vote for elections for the House of Representatives under the PR system in coordination with diplomatic missions. It has suggested the government to collect the voters’ list abroad by mobilizing these missions. For the first-past-the-post system of elections for the House of Representatives and Provincial Assemblies, the EC has suggested that at least 33 percent candidates be female. It has proposed giving candidates from Dalit communities, women, economically disadvantaged or gender and sexual minorities, minority communities and persons with specific disabilities 50 percent discount on the bond amount. At local-level polls, EC has suggested using two separate ballot papers for positions like chair and vice chair as well as mayor and deputy mayor. A member of a party shall not be made a candidate on behalf of another political party without quitting the position, the bill states, adding: Candidates should spend money through bank accounts mentioned in their respective nomination papers. The EC said the draft has incorporated provisions in seven election laws as well as inputs from experts and stakeholders. Shaligram Sharma Paudel, spokesperson at the EC, said in a press release that the Commission has proposed new provisions on compilation of the voters list and the eligibility of candidates, among other issues. These suggestions came during discussions and interactions with stakeholders held at all seven provinces and the Center during drafting of the Bill, the commission said, adding that the Council of Ministers had given its theoretical consent for discussions and interactions on the matter on 29 Dec 2021. Countries like India, Spain, Pakistan and Bangladesh have embraced NOTA.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that the government would act more aggressively against corruption, setting a new revolution for good governance. During his meeting today with the CPN (Maoist Center)-affiliated YCL Nepal officials at the Prime Minister's official residence in Baluwatar, he said the government would not compromise with anyone else in its efforts to promote good governance. The Head of the Government promised to investigate scams and to penalize those responsible for offenses, according to YCL in-charge Ram Prasad Sapkota. During the meeting, the Prime Minister and the Maoist Centre Chair urged the party's youth wing to criticize the government if it performed negatively and promote its 'good' initiatives. He took time to say the government would not protect corruption under any circumstances and it was committed to meeting the people's aspirations. The CPN (Maoist Center) Chair urged the YCL to utilize its upcoming national convention scheduled to be held on September 25-27 as an opportunity to strengthen the organization through a new way and enriching relations with the people.