The closed-door session of the CPN-UML’s 11th general convention is set to begin at Bhrikutimandap on Sunday afternoon, with party chair KP Sharma Oli scheduled to present his political report.

Only the general convention delegates elected by party members from across the country, those nominated by the party secretariat meeting on Saturday and organising members can participate in the closed-door sessions.

Ahead of the session, Oli has called a meeting of the party’s central committee, its final meeting before the convention moves fully into the process to elect the party’s new leadership. The political report, endorsed at the statute convention held in September, has been updated to reflect the political situation following the Gen Z movement.

The statute convention had concluded on September 7, a day before the Gen Z uprising erupted, eventually ousting UML chair KP Sharma Oli-led government within two days of the protests.

The change in the national politics triggered by the youth uprising forced the UML leadership to organise the party’s general convention ahead of the scheduled date.

After the report is presented, the party will formally move towards electing its new leadership. According to publicity department chief Rajendra Gautam, the presidium of the closed session will authorise the election process, paving the way for nominations, withdrawals and voting. Under the adopted procedure, all office-bearers serve as members of the presidium.

The general convention opened on Saturday at Sallaghari in Bhaktapur, drawing a large turnout of leaders and cadres from across the country. The party has claimed it to be its largest gathering to date, with more than 2,200 delegates, including elected and nominated representatives, and 309 observers taking part. Around 10,000 volunteers have been mobilised for organisational and logistical management.

The convention will elect 15 office-bearers, including the party chair, and 251 central committee members for a five-year term. The party’s central secretariat meeting on Saturday nominated an additional 10 percent of central committee members, though the move drew objections from a faction led by senior vice-chair Ishwar Pokhrel over the nomination of 108 representatives.

Although the party statute mandates holding a general convention every five years, the UML convened this one a year early, citing special political circumstances in the aftermath of the Gen Z protests.

The party’s 10th general convention was held in Chitwan in December 2021. With the statute convention already concluded in September, the gathering is now largely focused on leadership selection.

The convention, which the party plans to conclude by Monday, has attracted attention amid internal competition for top positions. Both Oli and Pokhrel are expected to lead separate panels for the office-bearer posts, with factional meetings and lobbying intensifying as the party moves closer to the election phase.

Former President Bidya Devi Bhandari’s backing of the Pokhrel panel is believed to make the intra-party election more competitive.