19th session of National Assembly begins in Nepal

The 19th session of Nepal 19th National Assembly commenced on Sunday at the Federal Parliament building in Singhdurbar secretariat, Kathmandu.The winter session of the Upper House was headed by Narayan Prasad Dahal, Chairman of the House. The Upper House was meeting for the first time after the Gen Z movement ousted the KP Oli Government from power last year.

The National Assembly (NA), with 59 members, is the permanent house of the Parliament. President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives, or the Lower House, in September last year at the recommendation of the prime minister, following the Gen Z movement.

The Upper House remained intact. The tenure of the members of the Upper House is fixed for six years, and the term of one-third of the members of the house expires every two years. At present, there are 25 members from the Nepali Communist Party, 16 from the Nepali Congress and nine from CPN-UML, while the rest belong to smaller parties. Election is scheduled to be held on January 23 for the 19 vacant positions of the National Assembly members. The next meeting of the NA is scheduled for Friday, January 23.