Kathmandu: Leaders of various political parties and senior advocates have called for the adoption of a fully-proportional electoral system in Nepal. At a program organized to release the book “Electoral System in Nepal: A Comparative Study” by senior advocate Dr. Chandra Kant Gyawali, the participants highlighted the issues with the current electoral system, which they described as costly and a source of political instability, lacking a fully-proportional feature.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Chairman of the Janata Samajwadi Party, Upendra Yadav, emphasized the need for an electoral system change to reduce expenses and allow candidates from all classes to contest in elections. He advocated for a directly-elected system for the Prime Minister and Members of Parliament, suggesting that it would lead to a more inclusive political landscape.
Rekha Sharma, a leader from the CPN (Maoist Centre), supported the idea of a fully-proportional electoral system combined with a directly-elected executive head to end political instability in the country. She argued that the current system, which allows ministers to also serve as lawmakers, diminishes their role in the legislative process.
CPN (Unified Socialist) leader Prakash Jwala echoed the need for a new electoral system that includes a directly-elected executive head, citing the existing system’s failure to ensure stability and a republican sentiment. Former chief election commissioner Nilkantha Upreti also supported the fully-proportional system, asserting that it would ensure representation of all classes and groups, leading to a stable government.
Former Attorney General Dr. Dinmani Pokhrel called for further debate on selecting an appropriate electoral system, while Attorney General Ramesh Badal argued for the effective operation of the current mixed electoral system. He cautioned that frequent changes could lead to greater political instability.
Dr. Gyawali, the author of the book, proposed that election constituencies be determined to ensure inclusive representation under the first-past-the-post system, eliminating the proportional seat provision in the current system.