Nepali Congress (NC) leaders have called for amending the Constitution to change the current mixed electoral system pointing that it has prevented any party from securing majority.
A total of 165 House of Representatives (HoR) members are currently elected through the First-Past-The-Post electoral system and 110 members through the Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system.
Many NC leaders speaking in the ongoing central committee meeting have urged the party to take a lead in amending the Constitution to ensure that all 275 HoR members are elected through the FPTP system.
"Proportional and inclusive representation should be guaranteed through the FPTP electoral system. NC should take initiative to that regard," Shekhar Koirala, who lost the run-off for NC president to Sher Bahadur Deuba in the last general convention, said.
Another NC leader Shankar Bhandari pointed that the current electoral system did not just prevent any party from getting majority, but also invited malpractices. "Let's change the electoral system. We can make the National Assembly inclusive and proportional instead," Bhandari stated.
Pradip Paudel and Pushpa Bhusal also concurred. "Let's pick constituencies for 33 percent women, Dalits and other marginalized communities for the FPTP system," Bhusal advised.
Paudel said that HoR members should be cut to 201 and the election held through the FPTP system. "Let's make arrangements to ensure that it is inclusive and proportional within that. Let's keep the FPTP system even in the provincial elections," he suggested.
Chin Kaji Shrestha claimed that the people were also against the mixed electoral system as it invites instability with no party managing to earn majority. He contended that big parties can secure majority if the mixed electoral system were removed.
