The government plans to announce the date for National Assembly election by January 12, the deadline set by the Election Commission to register political parties willing to take part in the upper house vote.

After President Bidya Devi Bhandari authenticated the ordinance on NA elections on Friday, the door has opened for electing the Assembly.

However, the electoral college consisting of Provincial Assembly members and chiefs and deputy chiefs of the local federal units is still incomplete as proportional candidates to be elected from the parties for provincial assemblies are yet to be finalised.

Furthermore, the Election Commission (EC) has to submit the results of provincial assembly elections to the provincial chiefs who have yet to be appointed by the government due to the differences among the parties.

“First, the government will appoint governors in the seven provinces in consultation with the parties within a few days,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Gopal Man Shrestha.

“Then, the government will announce the date of upper house elections after consulting with the EC within the deadline [January 12] set by the EC to register parties.”

After the poll date is announced, the EC has to prepare an election calendar scheduling candidate nomination, candidacy withdrawal, and publication of the final list of candidates. All this is going to be a lengthy process.

On Friday, an EC team led by Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhee Prasad Yadav urged Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to appoint the provincial chiefs. The CEC had also urged the PM to announce the poll date as soon as possible.

“There will be another round of consultation with us for fixing the date of NA elections,” Yadav told the Post.

President Bhandari put the ordinance on hold for more than two months after the government forwarded it to her amid a dispute between the parties. According to the law, the electoral college in each province elects eight members ensuring representation of at least three women, a Dalit, and a member from the physically impaired group or from a minority community.