Nepal gears up for general elections next year

Nepal is preparing to hold general elections on March 5 next year to elect 275 members to the House of Representatives, with 114 political parties out of 143 registered with the Election Commission (ECN) taking part, according to the Republica English daily.

ECN spokesperson Narayan Bhattarai said the applications of 13 parties were rejected for various reasons.

"Initially, eight parties applied to contest independently but later decided to join other parties. As a result, their earlier registrations were cancelled," Bhattarai said.

Others withdrew voluntarily, submitted duplicate applications or applied as single candidates, leading to their nullification, he added.

Former Chief Justice Sushila Karki became Nepal's interim prime minister in September following a push for an interim government following protests that left at least 51 people dead and hundreds injured and forced the ouster of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's elected administration.

Separately, Nepal's anti-graft body filed a corruption case Sunday at the Special Court against 55 individuals, including five former ministers and 10 former secretaries, and a company, according to the Kathmandu Post.

The involved company is accused of irregularities in the construction of the $215.96 million China-funded international airport project in Pokhara, in the biggest corruption case filed at the Special Court for a state procurement process.

The anti-corruption body is seeking 8.36 billion Nepalese rupees ($58 million) from each of the 56 defendants, marking its largest financial penalty. However, the court will decide the final sentencing.