Nepal’s fringe parties have taken serious exception to the Election Commission’s preparations to toughen the requirements for national party status through a revision in the Political Parties Act.

As per the existing Act, a party which secures three percent of valid votes cast across the country under the proportional representation category and wins at least one seat under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system is recognised as a national party.

The draft amendment bill released by the commission on Thursday expanded these requirements. It says in addition to securing three percent of the votes, a party must now field candidates in 70 percent of constituencies and maintain inclusive party structures at the central and provincial levels, as well as in 80 percent of the local units.

Fringe parties have accused the commission of pushing tougher requirements to benefit big parties like the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML, both of which have, of late, been advocating for a two-party system in Nepal.

“We object to the provision as it attempts to undermine the parties that represent minority communities,” said Abdul Khan, whip of the Nepal Janamat Party, which has six seats in the federal parliament. “This provision shouldn’t get through Parliament.”

Leaders of fringe parties assert that all parties represented in the federal parliament should be recognised as national parties. “What is the point of creating two classes of parties?” asked CPN (Unified Socialist) chief whip Metmani Chaudhary. “We know who the Election Commission listens to,” he added, hinting at the CPN-UML. Chaudhary’s party was formed after breaking from the UML.

As per parliament regulations, a party that gets recognised as a national party is entitled to perks and benefits for employees and expenses, including an office for its parliamentary party on the Parliament premises. The chief whip of such an outfit is also entitled to benefits including a secretariat, staff, and a vehicle.

Rubbishing the fringe parties’ accusations, the commission says it is only trying to streamline the existing provisions.

Dinesh Thapaliya, chief election commissioner, argued that national parties must have a strong presence across the country.

“Who is stopping the fringe parties from growing? Why should they assume they will always remain small?” said Thapaliya. “How can a party qualify to be a national party if it doesn’t have the vote base to win even one seat in three of the country’s seven provinces?”

The commission has given 10 days for members of the public to offer feedback and suggestions on the draft bill. It will be given a final shape after incorporating the feedback and then sent to the government. The government can make changes to it, if it wishes, before registering it in Parliament.

The draft bill includes a new rule barring independently elected representatives from joining political parties during their term. If such a representative joins a party, their elected position will automatically be vacant, it says.

Under the existing law, if an independently elected representative joins a political party, they automatically become a representative of that party.

Similarly, the commission has proposed in the draft bill that at least 40 percent of a party’s central members or parliamentarians can form a new party. The lawmakers joining the new outfit, however, will automatically lose their positions.

“When you decide to change the party and form a new one with a different election symbol, you should be prepared to give up the position you were elected to under the previous election symbol,” said Thapaliya. “You should then be ready to go to the public for a fresh mandate.”

The draft bill also sets a minimum and maximum limit for central committee members, at 21 and 351, respectively. At times in the past, Nepal’s parties have formed central committees with more than 1,000 members.

Similarly, if two or more parties merge to form a party, its general convention must be held within a year, as per the draft bill.

In an attempt to curb the ever-increasing election spending, the commission has proposed financial support for election expenses and party operations from the state treasury. Once they start receiving state funding, parties will not be allowed to collect donations.