The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) has voted 194-0 to enact the Election Commission bill after no changes were made by a joint panel set up to reconcile the differences between the lawmakers and election commissioners.
With the effect of the law, the six incumbent EC commissioners will have to vacate office when the law is promulgated in the Royal Gazette. The NLA will screen for new members based on the provisions of the new law.
The NLA on June 10 voted to pass the law but the incumbent election commissioners exercised the right to oppose it in six points.
They involved the qualifications of election commissioners, the process in stopping or suspending an election unit, the authorisation of other agencies to hold local elections and to investigate irregularities, and the termination of the existing six EC commissioners.
The 2017 constitution allows an affected party to appeal against a law that has been passed by the NLA but yet to be signed by the king. It requires a joint panel between the NLA and the affected party set up to reconcile their differences, make the changes and send the bill back to be voted again. In the case of the election commission bill, the joint panel resolved to make no changes to the version approved by the NLA on June 10.