Kathmandu — The Election Commission of Nepal has prepared a draft of the Political Party Self-Evaluation Procedure, 2082, which proposes that political parties regularly assess their transparency, accountability, and internal practices. The draft includes provisions for a committee led by the Commission’s secretary to oversee, guide, and evaluate political parties.
Under this draft, parties must submit reports evaluating their internal structure, financial transparency, adherence to legal procedures, and overall conduct. The committee would be empowered to investigate complaints, publish evaluation reports, and recommend actions to the Commission based on findings.
However, several smaller and opposition parties have strongly opposed the draft, calling it unconstitutional and politically motivated. Parties such as the Maoist Centre, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), JSP Nepal, Janamat Party, Nagarik Unmukti Party, and others claimed the Election Commission is attempting to suppress all parties except the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML.
Senior advocate and former Nepal Bar Association president Gopal Krishna Ghimire criticized the proposal, saying it’s inappropriate for bureaucrats to direct political parties and warned such provisions could be abused to restrict multiparty democracy.
The Election Commission responded by stating that the draft’s intent is to promote internal reform and good governance in parties, not to control them. It is currently seeking feedback and is open to amendments.
NP
