The Nepali Congress has announced that it has incorporated a new provision into its party statute allowing it to recall proportional representation (PR) members of the House of Representatives and provincial assemblies at any time.
During an orientation session for newly-elected members of the National Assembly and the House of Representatives, the party briefed its lawmakers on the specific conditions under which PR members can be recalled.
Speaking under the "Parliamentary Awareness Program" during the orientation, Vice-president Bishwa Prakash Sharma informed the lawmakers about this new statutory provision. He said that the provision is included in Section 40 of the party statute – amended during the party’s special general convention held in January – and also elaborated on its four sub-sections.
According to the party, this provision was introduced to make the parliamentary responsibilities of House of Representatives and provincial assembly members elected through the PR system more effective and accountable.
According to the new provision, the party recall a PR lawmaker under four circumstances.
First, if the individual acts against prevailing laws.
Second, if they act against the party’s directives and values.
Third, if their performance evaluation is found to be unsatisfactory.
Fourth, the party reserves the right to recall a PR lawmaker at any time.
The Nepali Congress said that the Election Commission has already registered and approved this amendment to the party statute. The party also mentioned that it is preparing to draft guidelines, incorporating suggestions from lawmakers as well.
In the House of Representatives election held on March 5, the Nepali Congress won a total of 38 seats – 18 through the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system and 20 through the proportional representation (PR) system.
The orientation for the newly-elected lawmakers took place on Saturday.
Notably, the party has not yet elected its parliamentary party leader.
