At stake in this election:

• 601 seats in the Constituent Assembly

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA
• Assembly: Nepal has a unicameral Constituent Assembly with 601 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The Prime Minister is elected by party.
• In the Constituent Assembly, 240 members are elected by direct popular vote to serve 2-year terms, 335 members are elected by proportional representation to serve 2-year terms and 26 members are designated by the prime minister to serve 2-year terms.***

*** The Constituent Assembly will replace the Interim Parliament, formed on Jan 15, 2007, until new legislative elections are held under the new constitution.

* 35 members of the National Council are chosen by the House of Representatives through a mixed system of proportional representation and single-transferable vote; 15 members are chosen by the five Development Regions; 10 are chosen by the monarch. One-third of the members are elected every two years to serve 6-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Nepali Congress (NC)
  • Leader: Girija Prasad KOIRALA
  • Seats won in this election: 36
  • Seats won in last election: 133
• Party: Nepal Communist Party/United Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML)
  • Leader: Madhav Kumar NEPAL
  • Seats won in this election: 33
  • Seats won in last election: 83
• Party: Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) (CPN-M)
  • Leader: Puspa Kamal DAHAL (PRACHANDA)
  • Seats won in this election: 118
  • Seats won in last election: 84
• Party: Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP)
  • Leader: Pashupati Samsher RANA
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: 9
• Party: Nepal Sadbhawana Party (Anandi Devi)
  • Leader: Anandi Devi SINGH
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: 5
• Party: Rastriya Jana Morcha Nepal (RJN)******
  • Leader: Chitra BAHADUR K.C.
  • Seats won in this election: 1
  • Seats won in last election: 3
• Party: Madhesi Jan Adhikar Forum, Nepal (MJF)
  • Leader: Upendra YADAV
  • Seats won in this election: 28
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: Janamorcha Nepal********
  • Leader: Amik SHERCHAN
  • Seats won in this election: 2
  • Seats won in last election: 4
• Party: Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP)
  • Leader: Narayan Man BIJUKCHE
  • Seats won in this election: 2
  • Seats won in last election: 4
• Party: Rastriya Jansakti Party (RJP)
  • Leader: Surya Bahadur THAPA
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, Madhesh
  • Leader: Bhagyanath SHAH
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party
  • Leader: Mahanta THAKUR
  • Seats won in this election: 9
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: Sadhvawana Party
  • Leader: Rajendra MAHATO
  • Seats won in this election: 4
  • Seats won in last election: 0

****** Formerly People's Front (Janamorcha) Chitra BAHADUR K.C. Group
******** Formerly People's Front (Janamorcha) Amik SHERCHAN Group

Last Parliamentary election:

• Legislative elections were last held in 2 stages on May 3 and May 17, 1999. The House of Representatives was dissolved in 2002.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 26,325,183 (2008)
• Registered Voters: 17,609,895 (April 2008)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 13,413,695 (2008)

·         Is Nepal a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (5 February 1991)

·         Has Nepal ratified CEDAW: Yes (22 April 1991)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 197 (following the 2008 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 145 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: High (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Nepal a signatory to CRPD: Yes (3 January 2008)

·         Has Nepal ratified CRPD: Yes (7 May 2010)

·         Population with a disability: 3,948,777 (est.)