The Nepal Communist Party (NCP) on Thursday acquired a party registration certificate from the Election Commission (EC). Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhee Prasad Yadav presented the certificate to NCP General Secretary Bishnu Poudel. The EC has listed in 145th number of the party registration book.

The NCP obtained legal status as a political party on Wednesday, three weeks after the merger between the CPN-UML and the CPN (Maoist Centre).

NCP leader Subas Nembang informed that the two parties had unified as per the commitment put forth by the parties to the people. “We had committed to the people that we will unify to end the wrong setting and lead the country for five years to achieve prosperity. And the EC certificate has formally paved the way for this process,” Nembang, who is also the deputy party leader of NCP, told the media.

According to Nembang, the party will now form Parliamentary Party in the Legislature Parliament and start fulfilling commitments made to the people. The NCP has also started the process of bringing parties together with similar ideology and will continue doing so in the days to come, he added.

Asked to comment on 33 percent representation of women leaders in the party’s 441-member Central Committee, Nembang said, “Participation will be ensured after party’s General Convention.” The Party Registration Act states that a party needs to ensure 33 percent representation of women from the central to local levels. Only 72 women leaders have been nominated in the central committee which accounts for only 16 percent at present.

The EC has also decided to write all the national political parties, asking them to ensure 33 percent representation of women in their respective central bodies. None of the national parties in Parliament have 33 percent representation of female members in their central committee as prescribed by the Act.

Moratorium on use of UML, MC name, flag, symbol

The Election Commission (EC) said on Thursday that it will not allow any individual to register a party with CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre) as its name in the future. The two major political parties had unified to form Nepal Communist Party (NCP) on the third week of May. The commission said in a statement that the flag and election symbol of the erstwhile UML and Maoist Centre also cannot be used by other parties. Article 10 of the Party Registration Act states that no one can use name, flag and election symbol of erstwhile parties for one year from the date of their unification.

Yadav refutes merger reports with NCP

The Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal (SSF-N) has ruled out suggestions of his party’s unification with the Nepal Communist Party of Nepal.

“Serious attention of the party has been drawn towards the news disseminated through different media and social media regarding the party unification,” SSF-N Chairman Upendra Yadav said in a statement on Thursday. “There is no reality in the news disseminated with an intent of disseminating wrong message to the people.”

Yadav, who recently joined the government as deputy prime minister and minister for Health and Population, however, said the party’s Central Working Committee meeting on May 4 had decided to unite the party with those having similar policy, ideology and principles. “But there is no possibility of unification with CPN immediately,” he clarified.