Leaders of the four major political parties have requested the Election Commission to extend the deadline to submit nominations for Proportional Representation seats by seven more days.
“We felt that instead of submitting just our names and leaving other parties behind, it is better for us to move together,” Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel said after submitting the request. “The discussions between the parties will continue to reach a consensus.”
Leaders of Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML, UCPN-Maoist and Madhesi parties headed to the Commission after an all party decision on the issue at the residence of NC president Sushil Koirala at Maharajgunj to discuss on the issue. The request was submitted in presence of the commissioners of the EC.
“We feel that the discussions in the HLPC meetings are heading towards a positive direction,” said UCPN leader Post Bahadur Bogati. “We expect our demands will be taken positively.”
The commissioners appreciated the parties' approach but requested that they should not expect multiple extensions on the deadline.
The Election Commission had first set the deadline on 10 December for the parties to submit their names. The Commission had extended the deadline on the request of NC by eight days.
The meeting of the High Level Political Committee had ended inconclusively on Sunday evening, and the discussion on the Maoist’s demand for an independent election probe committee continues. However, the parties agreed on requesting the EC to extend the deadline for the PR nomination and to continue the legitimacy of the HLPC until the first CA meeting.