The House of Representatives, commonly known as Pratinidhi Sabha (Nepali: प्रतिनिधि सभा, romanized: Pratinidhi Sabhā), is one of the houses of the Federal Parliament of Nepal, with the other house being the National Assembly.[1] Members of the House of Representatives are elected through a parallel voting system. They hold their seats for five years or until the body is dissolved by the President on the advice of the council of ministers. The house meets at the International Convention Centre in Kathmandu.
Pratinidhi Sabha प्रतिनिधि सभा | |
|---|---|
| 2nd Federal Parliament | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | 5 years |
| History | |
| Preceded by | 2nd Nepalese Constituent Assembly |
| Leadership | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 275 |
 | |
Political groups | Government (182)
External support (13) Opposition (80) |
| Elections | |
| Parallel voting: | |
Last election | 20 November 2022 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| International Convention Centre, New Baneshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal | |
| Website | |
| hr | |
The House has 275 members; 165 elected from single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post voting and 110 elected through proportional electoral system where voters vote for political parties, considering the whole country as a single election constituency.[2] The House of Representatives, unless dissolved, continues to operate for five years from the date appointed for its first meeting. However, in a state of emergency, the term of the House of Representatives may be extended, not exceeding one year in accordance with federal law.
The current House of Representatives was elected by the general elections held on 20 November 2022, and its first session convened on 9 January 2023.[3][4][5]
History
Parliament of Kingdom of Nepal, 1959–1962
The 1959 constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal, proclaimed on 12 February 1959, first mentions the Pratinidhi Sabha first as follows: "There shall be a Parliament which shall consist of His Majesty and two Houses, to be known respectively as the Senate (Maha Sabha) and the House of Representatives (Pratinidhi Sabha)" (Article No. 18, Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal, 1959).[6]
The 1959 constitution was abrogated on 16 December 1962 when the new Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal, 1962 was proclaimed and the parliament of the kingdom became unicameral.[7]
Post-Panchayat, 1990–2002
The House of Representatives was first provided for by the "Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 1990", which replaced the former panchayat system of parliament with a bicameral parliament.[8] It consisted of 205 members directly elected from single-member constituencies. It had five-year terms, but it could be dissolved by the King on the advice of the Prime Minister before the end of its term.[9]
Dissolution, 2002–2007
In May 2002, the House of Representatives was dissolved by King Gyanendra on advice of the then prime minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba, in order to hold new elections.[10] Elections could not take place due to the ongoing civil war, which eventually led King Gyanendra to stage a royal coup. Following the democracy movement of 2006, the King reinstated the earlier legislature.[11] On 15 January 2007, the House of Representatives was transformed into an Interim legislature. This consisted of members appointed under an agreement between the Seven Party Alliance and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (known by the name Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), since 2009).[12]
Federal Parliament of Nepal, 2015–present
The Constitution of Nepal was drafted by the 2nd Constituent Assembly and the provision for a bicameral legislature was re-adopted.[13] The House of Representatives became the lower house of the Federal Parliament of Nepal and its first election was held in 2017.[14]
Members
The composition and powers of the house are established by Parts 8 and 9 of the Constitution of Nepal. The qualifications for becoming a member of the House are laid out in Article 87 of the Constitution and House of Representatives Election Act, 2017. Members must be:
- a citizen of Nepal
- twenty five years or older on date of nomination
- without a criminal offense conviction involving moral turpitude
- not disqualified by any federal law
- not hold any office of profit (paid by the government).[15]
In addition to this, no member can be a member of both the House of Representatives and the National Assembly.
Vacation of seat
The seat of a member of House of Representatives may be considered vacant in the following circumstances:[16]
- Written resignation to the Speaker,
- Unable to comply to Article 91,
- Expired term of office / house,
- Unclarified / uninformed absence for ten consecutive house sessions,
- Resignation / removal from the party to which the candidate was associated during election,
- Death.
Current membership
Composition by province
| Province | Constituencies |
|---|---|
| Koshi | 28 |
| Madhesh | 32 |
| Bagmati | 33 |
| Gandaki | 18 |
| Lumbini | 26 |
| Karnali | 12 |
| Sudurpashchim | 16 |
Officers of the House of Representatives
Speakers of the House of Representatives
| Name | Party | Assumed office | Left office | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krishna Prasad Bhattarai[18] | Nepali Congress | 3 July 1959 | 15 December 1960 | 1st House of Representatives | |
| Daman Nath Dhungana[19][20] | 23 June 1991 | 1 October 1994 | 2nd House of Representatives | ||
| Ram Chandra Poudel[20] | 18 December 1994 | 23 March 1999 | 3rd House of Representatives | ||
| Taranath Ranabhat[21][22] | 23 June 1999 | 28 April 2006 | 4th House of Representatives | ||
| Subas Chandra Nembang | CPN (UML) | 13 May 2006 | 15 January 2007 | Interim Legislature | |
| Krishna Bahadur Mahara[23][24] | CPN (Maoist Centre) | 10 February 2018 | 1 October 2019 | 5th House of Representatives | |
| Agni Prasad Sapkota[25] | 26 January 2020 | 18 September 2022 | |||
| Dev Raj Ghimire[26][27] | CPN (UML) | 19 January 2023 | Incumbent | 6th House of Representatives | |
Deputy speakers of the House of Representatives
| Name | Party | Assumed office | Left office | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahendra Narayan Nidhi | Nepali Congress | 31 March 1960 | 15 December 1960 | 1st House of Representatives | |
| Mahantha Thakur | 23 June 1991 | 17 December 1994 | 2nd House of Representatives | ||
| Ram Vilas Yadav | Rastriya Prajatantra Party | 18 December 1994 | 13 October 1997 | 3rd House of Representatives | |
| Lila Shrestha Subba | CPN (UML) | 6 May 1998 | 10 October 1998 | ||
| Bhojraj Joshi | 14 October 1998 | 23 March 1999 | |||
| Chitra Lekha Yadav | Nepali Congress | 29 June 1999 | 17 January 2007 | 4th House of Representatives | |
| Interim Legislature | |||||
| Shiva Maya Tumbahamphe | CPN (UML) | 18 March 2018 | 20 January 2020 | 5th House of Representatives | |
| Pushpa Bhusal | Nepali Congress | 15 July 2022 | 18 September 2022 | ||
| Indira Ranamagar | Rastriya Swatantra Party | 21 January 2023 | Incumbent | 6th House of Representatives | |
Terms of the House of Representatives
See also
Notes
References
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