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Today's meeting of the National Assembly has been postponed by passing a condolence motion.

The meeting was postponed after it unanimously passed the condolence motion on the demise of former minister and a member of House of Representatives, Deepak Bohora. National Assembly Chair Narayan Prasad Dahal presented the condolence motion in the meeting.

Earlier, a minute's silence was observed paying tribute to late Bohora. Senior leader of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Bohora, was elected to the House of Representatives from Rupandehi-3. 

Born on Chaitra 18, 2007 BS, Bohora died on Chaitra 19, 2081 at the age of 74. The NA will meet next at 1:15 pm on Sunday.

Welcoming the NA members in the first meeting of the 18th session of the NA, Chair Dahal read out the letter sent by the President regarding commencement of the session.

The members in the thematic committees under the National Assembly (NA) have been reshuffled.

NA Chairperson Narayan Prasad Dahal announced the changes in today's meeting of the Upper House of the Federal Parliament.

NA Member Krishna Bahadur Rokaya of the Federal Strengthening and National Concerns Committee has been transferred to the Legislation Management Committee.

Similarly, Narayan Dutta Mishra of the Legislation Management Committee has been moved to the Federal Strengthening and National Concern Committee.

The proposal seeking reshuffle of the members was unanimously agreed upon by the NA meeting, it was shared. 

Minister for Physical Infrastructures and Transport, Devendra Dahal, has tabled the 'Ship (Operation and Management) Bill-2081' in today's meeting of the National Assembly.

He said although the United Nations General Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982 guaranteed equal rights of landlocked countries to the seas, dozens of international conventions have been implemented even after the execution of the Ship Registration Act, 2027.

Minister Dahal mentioned that national flag-carrier ship could not be registered as the Act did not incorporate the provisions of the convention.

The bill was tabled as it was necessary to promote internal water transport by making arrangement of registration and regulation of cruise ships since different capacity of cruise ships are in operation at different rivers in Nepal, added Minister Dahal. 

Bimala Ghimire of the CPN-UML has been elected as the vice-chairperson of the National Assembly.

Ghimire got 39 votes while Bishnu Devi Pudasaini was limited to 16 votes.  

After Ghimire got the majority, National Assembly Chairman Narayan Prasad Dahal announced that she was elected as the vice-chairperson of the National Assembly.

As many as 55 lawmakers took part in the election process.

Pudasaini was proposed by Durga Gurung of the Nepali Congress while Ghimire was proposed by Bhagwati Neupane.

The post had been vacant after National Assembly Vice-Chair Urmila Aryal tendered her resignation on March 28.

After the formation of a new political equation under the leadership of the UML, an agreement was reached among UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Rastriya Swatantra Party President Rabi Lamichhane and Janata Samajbadi Party Chairman Upendra Yadav to give National Assembly chair to Maoist Center and vice-chair to UML.

As per the agreement, Narayan Prasad Dahal of the Maoist Center was elected as the National Assembly chair on March 12.

In the 59-member strong upper house, Maoist Center has 18 members, Congress 16, UML 10, CPN (Unified Socialist) eight, Janata Samajbadi Party three, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party one and Janamorcha has one lawmaker.  

Meanwhile, Narayan Prasad Dahal and Bamdev Gautam are the nominated members.

Newly elected chairperson of the National Assembly (NA) Narayan Prasad Dahal said that he would take initiative to boost the prestige and importance of the upper chamber of the Federal Parliament.

Talking to media persons while exiting from the meeting after his election to the post, Chair Dahal shared that he would play an active role to establish the thinking that NA is the essential institution.

"I am committed to unite NA members of all parties to fulfill the entire roles and responsibilities of NA. I also have self-confidence that I will be successful in it," he underlined.

Stating that he would move ahead taking every activity that falls within NA's jurisdiction seriously, NA Chair Dahal stressed that he would be involved in formulating laws as well as boosting the prestige of the NA.

Dahal is scheduled to take oath of office and secrecy before President Ramchandra Paudel today itself.

Narayan Dahal elected as National Assembly chair (With video)

CPN (Maoist Centre) candidate Narayan Dahal has been elected as the chairman of the National Assembly.

In the election held today, Dahal garnered 39 votes while his contender Yuvaraj Sharma of the Nepali Congress secured 17 votes.

After Dahal obtained majority votes, Vice-Chairperson Urmila Aryal announced that he was elected as the chairman of the upper house.

A total of 56 lawmakers were present in the election.

Gopi Bahadur Sarki proposed Dahal for the post while Devendra Dahal of CPN-UML, Beduram Bhusal of CPN (Unified Socialist) and Mohammad Khalid of Janata Samajbadi Party seconded the proposal.

Dahal is the brother of Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

He was nominated as a member of the National Assembly by the President on the recommendation of the government in 2021.

With the formation of a new alliance, an agreement was reached among CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, CPN (Maoist Center) Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Rastriya Swatantra Party President Rabi Lamichhane and Janata Samajbadi Party Chairman Upendra Yadav to support the candidate of Maoist Center for National Assembly chair and UML for vice-chair.

The position remained vacant after Ganesh Timilsina retired after completing his six-year tenure on March 3.

Champa Devi Karki of CPN (Maoist Center) was almost sure to win the National Assembly election as one of the ruling coalition candidates from Koshi province. But she lost the Jan 25 vote to CPN-UML candidate Rukmini Koirala. 

Maoist leaders now claim that Karki lost because of the betrayal of trust by the Nepali Congress. They say although the Maoist party voted for NC candidate Krishna Prasad Sitaula, there was a significant crossing of the floor  by the NC voters. 

Though the Maoists emerged as the largest party in the NA after the election held to select 19 upper house members, the party is unhappy with the poll outcome from Koshi.

It is said that NC senior leader Shekhar Koirala, who is earnestly working to break the Maoist-Congress alliance, influenced the voting pattern of the NC. Earlier, the Koirala faction had switched to the UML to elect Kedar Bahadur Karki as chief minister after NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba fielded his candidate. It was later revealed that there was a secret understanding between Koirala and Deuba in the appointment of chief minister, which miffed the Maoist party. 

That was the first instance which sowed the seed of discord inside the ruling coalition. The latest election betrayal in Koshi province has deepened the mistrust between the Maoists and NC.  

"We have reached a point where we have to seriously review our alliance with the Nepali Congress,” says Maoist leader Barsha Man Pun. “In every election, we have been voting for NC candidates, and in return, we are being betrayed. The Koshi province election has forced us to think whether the current coalition is beneficial for us.”  

What happened in Koshi province is not the only reason why the Maoist and NC are growing apart. It began with the arrest of senior NC leader and former home minister Bal Krishna Khand in the fake Bhutanese refugee scandal.

Many NC leaders suspect that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal of the Maoist Center is weaponing corruption scandals against the NC leaders while overlooking the misdeeds of the leaders within his own party. 

NC senior leader Koirala has always been vocal about changing the current coalition and forging an alliance with the UML. Of late, more and more leaders are joining the chorus. They want to remove Dahal from power because they feel that his government has not been good to the NC. Even though the Maoist Center has only 32 seats in the House of Representatives, making it the third largest party, NC leaders believe the Maoist party is becoming overbearing in the government affairs — even bullying the NC and UML by opening investigation into past corruption scandals involving their leaders.   

Meanwhile, the Maoist leaders claim it is the NC that has been dictating the government’s decision-making process including in the foreign policy realm. A senior Maoist leader says the NC has tied the hands of Prime Minister Dahal, so that he is unable to make independent decisions. 

The Maoist party is particularly displeased with Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prakash Saud from the NC. “The Foreign Minister has failed to strike a balance among the three major powers because he and his party are biased towards India and the US.” 

During his China visit, Prime Minister Dahal made some commitments regarding the Belt and Road Initiatives and other projects, but there has been little to no follow through on those pledges. The Maoists blame the NC-led Foreign Ministry for this. 

Maoist leaders say Prime Minister Dahal wants to sign the BRI implementation plan at the earliest, but the foreign minister has not been cooperative.  

Some NC leaders believe that the only reason the NC-Maoist coalition has not fallen through is because Deuba wants to ensure a smooth transfer of power. They say the party president is of the belief that he can get to power only if Dahal is allowed to remain in power for two and a half years. 

Though there are strong voices inside the NC that the party should not forge an electoral alliance with Maoists in the next general elections, Deuba is of the view that without an alliance the NC alone cannot maintain the status of the largest party. 

However, Deuba does not see the similar prospect in forging an alliance with the UML. He is of the view that there cannot be an electoral partnership between first and second parties. The NC regards the UML, which has a strong organizational base, as a key election rival. 

In the past, the UML had even reached out to the NC, proposing an alliance deal between the two parties to ensure the government’s stability until the next elections. But Deuba was not keen to talk with the UML. 

As the Maoist-NC coalition teeters on the brink, the UML watches from the sidelines. UML Chairman Oli, who had previously made his mission to win a single party majority in the 2027 general elections, has been hinting at mid-term elections in recent days. Oli senses the simmering tension within the ruling coalition.

Prime Minister Dahal is likely to face more political challenges from his own coalition partner and the opposition in the days ahead. The UML and Rastriya Prajatantra Party are already planning to hit the streets against the government. The last thing Dahal wants is an unruly coalition. 

The CPN (Maoist Center) has emerged as the largest party in the National Assembly (NA), winning five out of 19 vacant seats and increasing its seat in the 59-member chamber to 18.

The Nepali Congress, by winning 10 seats in the election, now has 16 seats, followed by CPN-UML’s 10 seats, thanks to a single seat it managed to win in the NA elections held on Thursday. Nepal Communist Party (Unified Socialist) won two seats, increasing its strength to eight and emerging as the fourth largest party in the upper chamber. 

Former Nepali Congress general secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula got elected to the upper chamber from Koshi Province, securing 5,292 votes against Poudel’s 4,562. 

UML’s Rukmini Koirala won from Koshi Province Women’s Cluster, defeating Champadevi Karki, a Maoist Center candidate representing the ruling coalition. The UML candidate polled 5,086 votes against Karki’s 4,922 votes. Karki lost the crucial vote as 17 voters from local levels and three from the province crossed the floor.

The ruling coalition won all four seats in Bagmati Province. Bishnu Devi Pudasaini (Female) and Jitjung Basnet (Others) from Nepali Congress, Shri Krishna Prasad Adhikari from CPN Maoist Center (Differently-Abled) and Ghanashyam Risal from Samajbadi Party (Dalit) won, securing 6,622, 6,531, 6,383 and 6,512 votes, respectively.

Both candidates from the ruling coalition won Lumbini Province. Bishnu Kumari Sapkota of Nepali Congress won as a female candidate with 5,435 votes against CPN-UML candidate Tulasa KC’s  2,867. Jhakku Prasad Subedi (Maoist Center) won in Others category by polling 5,435 votes against UML candidate Jhapendra Gharti Chhetri (Palpa)’s 3,039 votes. 

Madhes Province elected Anand Prasad Dhungana of the Congress and Pooja Chaudhary of Janata Samajwadi Party with 7,370 and 7,929 votes, respectively.

From Gandaki Province, Kiran Babu Shrestha of Congress (Others), Padam Bahadur Pariyar (Differently-Abled/minority) and Manrupa Sharma (Female) of Maoist Center won, polling 3,808, 3,779 votes and 3,660 votes, respectively.

In Karnali Province also, the ruling coalition won all three seats. Sabitri Malla (Dailekh) of the CPN United Socialist Party won with 3,722 votes from the Female category, leaving behind Bimala Kumari Shahi of CPN-UML (1,362 votes).

On Dalit category, Bishnu BK (Bikalpa) of CPN Maoist got elected, polling 3,817 votes against CPN-UML Hikmat BK’s 1,267 votes. Krishna Bahadur Rokaya of the Congress defeated Dilli Prasad Bhatt of CPN-UML in Rukum West, polling 3,870 votes against Bhatt’s 1,214 votes.

From Sudurpaschim Province also, ruling coalition candidates emerged victorious. The winning candidates are Maoist Center’s Renu Chand (Female) and Congress’s Narayan Bhatt (Differently-Abled) as well as Baldev Bohara (Others).

The Election Commission said in a press release on Thursday that 546 out of 549 voters in seven province assemblies cast their votes in the National Assembly elections, marking a turnout of 99.45 percent.

Out of 1,497 voters at local levels (rural municipalities, municipalities, sub-metropolises and metropolises), 1,486 cast votes, marking a 99.97 percent turnout.

The 19 NA members elected in the 59-member upper chamber will replace the incumbents, whose term expires on March 3. As per a constitutional provision, the President will nominate a member on the recommendation of the Cabinet.

All preparations along with necessary security arrangements for the National Assembly election have been completed. The NA election is taking place on January 25.

The voting is scheduled from 9 am to 3 pm where Province Assembly members, and the chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of rural municipalities, and the mayors and deputy-mayors of urban municipalities are the voters.

The Election Commission has determined a silence period from Monday mid-night till the end of voting in order to maintain impartiality, transparency and a fear-free environment in the election as per the legal provision.

During the silence period, political party office-bearers, candidates, sister organizations of the party, other persons, institutions and bodies that must follow the election code of conduct are not allowed to conduct any kind of discussion, interaction, meeting and workshop related to election publicity, said EC Spokesperson Shaligram Sharma Poudel.

Arrangements have been made for white ballot paper having election symbols in green ink for Province Assembly members, and for white ballot paper with election symbols in red ink for chairperson, vice-chairpersons of the rural municipalities and mayors and deputy-mayors of municipalities in the election.

The Election Commission (EC) is holding National Assembly polls on January 25 to fill 19 seats that are becoming vacant on March 4. The EC has published the final list of candidates contesting the election. However, the major parties, mainly the Nepali Congress and CPN (Maoist Center), have faced a backlash from their cadres and people alike over the selection of candidates. 

The upper house serves as an eclectic council of experts and scholars that advises the House of Representatives. It plays an important role in making the lower house and the government accountable. However, the selection of candidates by major parties tells a different story. Leaders, who were rejected by voters in the House of Representatives (HoR) elections multiple times, have been granted tickets. Such practice undermines the spirit of the upper house as the dominance of same old defeated faces in parliament discourages youth leaders within major parties. There is deep dissatisfaction over the selection of candidates within the NC. Moreover, parties have violated the principle of inclusion in candidate selection. The Nepali Congress, for example, doesn’t have a single candidate representing the Madhes region.

Not only the Nepali Congress, the Maoist Center and CPN-UML have, in the past, appointed leaders who lost House of Representatives elections to the upper house. Since its formation in 2018, only a few experts have been sent to the upper house. This has tarnished the status and glory of the upper house. Contrary to its intended role as the conscience keeper of parliament, the National Assembly has failed to function independently due to excessive influence of government and political parties.

The top leaders of major parties, however, appear unaffected by the backlash over candidate selection. The major parties need to to take this matter seriously, as the diminishing trust of the people toward parliamentary bodies poses a threat to democracy as a whole. At a time when some people are criticizing the 2015 Constitution and democracy, unpopular decisions by major parties will further erode public trust in the current system. Therefore, parties must address this issue seriously and work toward restoring the reputation of parliament.

In Nepal’s bicameral parliament, the National Assembly or the upper house consists of 59 members. Of them, 56 members are elected through the electoral college and three, including at least one woman, is nominated by the President on the recommendation of the government. 

Ideally, the NA is distinct from the lower house, which is dominated by politicians. It serves as an eclectic council of experts and scholars that advise the lower house or the House of Representatives during the lawmaking process. It plays a vital role in holding the HoR and the government to account. The upper house is also a permanent body, and the term of its member can last for a maximum of six years. One-third members retire every two years and elections are held accordingly.  

As election for 19 seats in the NA is set to take place on Jan 25, the major political parties—Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center)—are engaged in an intense horse-trade to secure positions for leaders who couldn't find their way into the lower house. They have turned the upper house into a platform to accommodate the leaders who lost the election or did not get a chance to enter the lower house under the proportional representation category. 

Instead of appointing experts as envisioned by the constitution, the major political parties have hijacked the upper house and turned it into a losers’ club. As politicians are getting elected under the expert’s quota, the NA is failing to perform its true duty, and the political parties are endorsing controversial bills.

On Monday, the cross-party leaders registered their candidacy for the NA election. The Nepali Congress has fielded its senior leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula for one of the seats. Sitaula, who played a vital role in Nepal’s peace process, lost the 2022 parliamentary elections against Rastriya Prajatantra Party Chairman Rajendra Lingden. His candidacy has drawn criticism both inside and outside the party.

Some critics are of the view that it is wrong to field somebody in the NA election who had lost the general election just a year ago. Others are calling out the Congress party for repeating the same old leaders, instead of introducing fresh faces. 

Sitaula and his party is eyeing for the post of the upper house chair, as the incumbent NA Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timalsina’s term is ending in April. Inside the party, Sitaula’s candidacy has been criticized by leaders including the general secretary duo, Bishwa Prakash Sharma and Gagan Kumar Thapa. 

“There are many others who are eligible to become members. There are leaders who have made a lot of contribution to the party and the country,” said Sharma. He noted that the party has failed to implement the provision of inclusion in its truest sense.

Thapa also expressed dissatisfaction over the party’s NA election candidates. “Our constitution has envisioned the representation of under privileged groups and experts in the National Assembly. The party’s decision goes against the standard that we set ourselves,” he said. 

The Nepali Congress is not the first and the only party that has failed to honor the spirit of the upper house. The incumbent Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha from the CPN (Maoist Center) is another notable political figure to enter the NA after an electoral loss. Similarly, senior political leader Bam Dev Gautam, formerly of the UML, is also serving as an upper house member after losing the HoR election. 

The current ruling alliance, including the Congress, Maoist Center and CPN (Unified Socialist), has forged an electoral alliance, while the main opposition, CPN-UML, has decided to fight alone. The ruling coalition is likely to win almost all the seats. Although Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal wanted to accommodate the UML, his attempt did not yield any result due to the objection from some coalition partners. 

Regarding the appointments to be made by the President, the parties are unsurprisingly preparing to recommend more politicians, instead of the experts. Since its formation in 2018, there has been rare appointment of experts in the upper house. With politicians ruling the roost, the NA is no longer the conscience keeper of parliament. It has failed to function independently due to the excessive influence of the government and political parties.  

The key functions of NA

• Providing expert service
• Promulgation of laws
• Holding government accountable
• Regulation and issuing directives
• Conducting parliamentary hearing

The Election Commission (EC) has endorsed the voter list in view of the upcoming election to the National Assembly, the upper house of the Federal Parliament, scheduled to take place on January 25. 

As per the endorsed voter list, there are a total of 2,047 voters who include Province Assembly (PA) members, chairs and vice-chairs of rural municipalities and mayors and deputy-mayors of municipalities for the upper house election.

Of them, 549 are PA members and 1,498 are local representatives. Though there should be a total 550 voters from the PA, one member is no more and it has been fixed at 549.

Likewise, names of one rural chair, one vice chair and one deputy mayor are not in the voter list as they have already passed away. Similarly, the names of one rural municipality chair and four mayors have been excluded in the list as they currently remain suspended from the posts, according to a press statement issued by Commission Spokesperson Shaligram Sharma Paudel. 

The total weightage of vote of PA members is 29,097, and it is 28,462 of local representatives: 57,500 in total. The voting weightage of a PA member is 53 followed by 19 of a local people's representative as fixed by the Commission.

The voter’s name list will be available in the election officers' office by January 5 and it could be corrected through a certain procedure if needed. The EC will publish the final list on January 7.

A meeting of the National Assembly has been postponed till August 22.

According to the Federal Parliament Secretariat, the meeting called for August 16 was postponed due to a special reason.

Spokesperson of the Federal Parliament Secretariat, Ekram Giri, informed about the postponement of the NA meeting.

Issuing a notice, the Secretariat said that the next meeting has been scheduled for 1:01 pm on August 22.

The National Assembly meeting has been postponed till Wednesday following obstruction from the main opposition CPN-UML.

As soon as the meeting began, UML lawmaker Dil Kumari Rawal demanded formation of a high-level probe committee to investigate the recent gold smuggling case.

She said that the government is not serious towards investigating the gold smuggling case.

“The CPN-UML has been obstructing the Parliament demanding formation of a high-level probe committee. But the government is not serious towards it,” Rawal said.

She alleged that the government is involved in the smuggling.

Rawal claimed that the smuggling of a huge cache of gold would not have been possible had there not been the involvement of the government.

She said that they would not allow the House proceed with its business until the government answers the questions raised by the opposition.

After lawmaker Rawal put forth her opinion, UML lawmakers stood from their respective seats as a gesture of protest.

Later, Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina informed that the meeting has been postponed till 1 pm on Wednesday.

The Department of Revenue Investigation on June 18 seized around one quintal gold that had passed the airport customs undetected.

So far, 18 persons have been arrested in connection with the case.

The CPN-UML on Thursday obstructed the National Assembly meeting demanding formation of a high-level probe committee to investigate the one quintal gold smuggling case.

As soon as the meeting began, UML lawmaker Bhairav Kumar Shrestha said they would not allow the National Assembly proceed with its business until the government forms a high-level probe committee.

He also said that the UML would not be a mute spectator in the latest gold smuggling case.

Shrestha suspected that the people in the government were also involved in the gold smuggling scam.

Saying that he would draw the attention of the government towards the issue, National Assembly Chairperson Ganesh Prasad Timilsina urged the UML to create a conducive environment to operate the meeting smoothly.

After the UML lawmakers refused to give up their stance despite repeated requests, Chairperson Timilsina said that the meeting has been postponed till August 7.

The Upper House on Thursday unanimously endorsed the bill aimed at taking action against loan sharks. With the National Assembly endorsing a bill ‘to amend some other Nepal Acts including Civil Code 2080’, the passage has been cleared for its authentication from the President.

Tabling the bill, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Dhanraj Gurung said that since the period of the ordinance related to usurious lending has expired, the bill had to be brought as an amendment to some other Nepal Acts to provide the justice of the loan shark victims. 

Following a series of protests from the loan shark victims, the government on May 3 had issued an ordinance to criminalize usurious lending and provide justice to the victimized borrowers. The government also formed an inquiry commission led by Gauri Bahadur Karki to collect complaints from the victims and study them based on the ordinance. The government and the victims on April 1, had reached an agreement to expedite the process to amend the laws to criminalize unscrupulous lending.

Since the ordinance has to be endorsed by the parliament within 60 days, the government tabled the replacement bill at the National Assembly on June 20 and the national assembly passed the bill on June 30.  The replacement bill to the ordinance was supposed to be endorsed from the House of Representatives on July 5. However, as the opposition parties including main opposition CPN(UML) obstructed the parliament against a controversial statement made by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the bill couldn’t be endorsed.

With the expiry of the ordinance and failure to endorse from the parliament created a legal vacuum in the investigations, the government again tabled the bill at the House of Representatives which endorsed it on July 17. However, National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina initially refused to include the bill in the proceedings of the upper house and sought opinion from the Attorney General’s Office.

The bill has taken a significant step by criminalizing the practice of lending money at exorbitant interest rates through unfair transactions. It establishes provisions for imprisonment of up to seven years and imposes fines of up to Rs 70,000 on individuals engaged in such predatory lending practices. This move aims to protect vulnerable borrowers from falling into debt traps and to deter loan sharks from exploiting people in dire financial situations.

In addition to criminalizing predatory lending practices, the bill has defined the forcible transfer of a debtor’s immovable property through threats, violence, or exploitation for debt recovery as an unfair transaction. Furthermore, the bill addresses the issue of exorbitant interest rates by stating that charging interest to the extent that it exceeds the principal amount is punishable. 

The commission has opened its office in Janakpur, the capital of Madhes Province, as it will be easier for the victims to share their problems. Most of the loan shark victims are from districts of the Terai region.  Of the 24,000 complaints received by the Karki commission, majority are from eight districts of Madhesh and Nawalparasi (Susta West). The commission has settled around 1,800 complaints so far and returned 8 bigha of land to victims from lenders.