Image source, Nepal Photo Library
The final preparations for administering the oath of office and secrecy to newly elected MPs have reached the concluding stage, stated the spokesperson of the Federal Parliament Secretariat.
The oath-taking ceremony has been scheduled to take place in the multi-purpose assembly hall of the federal parliament building under construction within the Singh Durbar complex.
Among the newly elected MPs, the senior-most member, Nepali Congress leader Arjun Narasingha K.C., will administer the oath to the remaining members.
His office has informed that he is scheduled to take the oath from President Ram Chandra Paudel at the President’s official residence, Sheetal Niwas, on Chaitra 11 (March 24, 2024).
Following this, K.C. will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the other MPs on Chaitra 12 (March 25, 2024) at 2:15 PM, officials from the Parliament Secretariat have stated.
According to constitutional provisions, every member of the federal parliament must take an oath before participating for the first time in a session of the house or any of its committees.
In the absence of the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, the constitutional arrangement stipulates that the senior member among the attendees, determined by age, shall chair the House of Representatives session.
Which Languages Have Been Selected?
Following established practice, MPs are allowed to take their oath not only in Nepali but also in their mother tongues.
The Secretariat spokesperson, Giri, explained that MPs must submit their language preference within the specified deadline.
MPs wishing to take their oath in their mother tongue are required to translate the oath text from Schedule 3 of the House of Representatives Election Act, 2074 (2017) into their chosen language and submit the translated copy to the Parliament Secretariat’s MP Facilitation Management Branch or via email at least three days before the oath ceremony.
According to this arrangement, the deadline to inform the language choice is by midnight on Monday, spokesperson Giri noted.
By 6 PM Monday evening, 10 languages other than Nepali had been chosen by the MPs, according to the information provided to the Secretariat.
Image source, Ashok Dahal/BBC
So far, 24 MPs have informed the Secretariat that they will take the oath in languages other than Nepali, with Maithili and Nepal Bhasa being the most preferred.
Khushbu Oli from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) has declared she will take the oath in Sanskrit. Meanwhile, 6 to 7 MPs have chosen either Nepal Bhasa or Maithili.
Languages such as Bhojpuri, Magahi, Tharu, Doteli, Avadhi, and others have also been selected for the oath.
Senior leader Balendra Shah Balen of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has yet to inform the Secretariat about his oath language choice, officials said.
“If no information is received indicating a choice of mother tongue for the oath, it is understood that the oath will automatically be in Nepali. However, there is still time—let’s see what happens,” an official remarked.
When elected Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Balen took his oath first in Nepali and then repeated it in Nepal Bhasa.
Attendance Requirements
MPs are required to attend the oath ceremony in the documents and formal attire prescribed by the Federal Parliament Secretariat.
They must bring the certificate of membership of the House of Representatives issued by the Election Commission (both original and copy), a copy of their citizenship certificate, and two recently taken passport-size photographs.
The Secretariat has requested members to arrive two hours prior to the scheduled time, dressed formally or in attire representing their cultural identity.
Parliament Session Arrangements
According to Article 93 of the Constitution, the Parliament session must be convened within one month of completing the House of Representatives election.
“The President shall summon a session of the federal Parliament within 30 days of the final results of the House of Representatives election being announced,” the Constitution states.
It is expected that the President will call the House of Representatives session before the end of Chaitra month (mid-April 2024) in accordance with constitutional provisions.
Parliamentary Party Offices
The Secretariat has arranged the use of old halls within the Federal Parliament Secretariat building as offices for parliamentary parties.
Spokesperson Giri confirmed that parliamentary parties have been provided offices in the older blocks.
“Larger parties have been provided with somewhat larger halls,” he added.
“Nepali Congress and CPN-UML will retain their previous parliamentary party offices, while the Rastriya Swatantra Party will receive the former office used by the Nepali Communist Party, which had formerly been used by RSP,” he explained.
The Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Labour Culture Party have been allocated offices previously assigned to smaller parliamentary parties, according to the spokesperson.
