Opposition Parties Prepare to Field Candidate for Deputy Speaker

Kathmandu. Opposition parties are preparing to field a candidate for the position of Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. Major parties, including the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and the Communist Party of Nepal, are currently engaged in internal discussions regarding the nomination.

Nepali Congress lawmaker Arjun Narsingh KC confirmed that opposition parties are preparing to nominate a candidate for the post. 'The core spirit of the constitution is that the Speaker and Deputy Speaker should not belong to the same party. We fulfilled our duty as the opposition by allowing a consensus on the Speaker,' KC told Ratopati. 'We believe the ruling party will now uphold that spirit by offering the position to the opposition to foster consensus.'

KC noted that formal discussions on the matter have not yet taken place. Leaders stated they are currently in internal deliberations regarding whether to field a candidate and, if so, which party should lead the nomination.

The Federal Parliament Secretariat has scheduled the nomination process for the Deputy Speaker on Thursday between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal announced during Wednesday's session that the election for the Deputy Speaker will be held during the House of Representatives meeting on Friday at 4:00 PM.

In the 275-member House of Representatives, the Rastriya Swatantra Party holds a comfortable majority with 182 seats. Therefore, it is certain that whoever they support will be elected as the Deputy Speaker.