Kathmandu, 19 March (H.S.): Nepal's Election Commission will today distribute certificates to candidates elected under the proportional representation (PR) system, formalizing the March 5 House of Representatives (HoR) poll outcomes and ushering in the process for a new administration.

Election Officer for PR Krishna Bahadur Raut announced the handover at 11:30 a.m. at the Commission's premises, urging recipients to present original citizenship certificates or national ID cards alongside two passport-sized photos. The Commission has finalized lists submitted by parties, with six securing national status: Rastriya Swatantra Party topping PR tallies at 57 seats, followed by Nepali Congress (20), CPN-UML (16), Nepal Communist Party (9), Shram Sanskriti Party (4), and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (4).

In the 275-seat HoR, 165 lawmakers hail from first-past-the-post constituencies and 110 from PR, ensuring at least 33% female representation. Alongside certificate distribution, the Commission will submit its comprehensive election report to President Ramchandra Paudel this afternoon, catalyzing coalition negotiations in a chamber where Rastriya Swatantra Party holds a near-supermajority of 182 seats overall.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar