Women make up only 12 % of candidates in first-past-the-post election

Kathmandu: Women make up only 12 percent of candidates in the first-past-the-post election for the House of Representatives scheduled for March 5, despite a constitutional provision ensuring 33 percent women’s participation.

Out of 3,484 candidates contesting 165 seats, the number of women remains very low, according to Election Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai. Political parties have met the 33 percent requirement mainly through proportional representation, not first-past-the-post seats.

Among major parties, the Nepali Congress has fielded 11 women candidates, while CPN-UML and Nepali Communist Party have each nominated eight women. The Rashtriya Swatantra Party has fielded 13 women, and the RPP nine. Overall, the number of women candidates is lower than in the previous election.

Women’s rights activists say political parties continue to sideline women in winnable constituencies, stressing that meaningful representation in the House of Representatives is essential. Legal experts argue that if parties continue to limit women to proportional seats, the law itself may need amendment to ensure greater participation of women in first-past-the-post elections.