Federal Parliament of Nepal: House of Representatives and National Assembly Explained

The Federal Parliament of Nepal (Sansad) is the country's national legislature, created by the Constitution of Nepal, which was promulgated on 20 September 2015 (4 Ashwin 2072 B.S.). Part 8 of the Constitution (Articles 83 onward) establishes a bicameral parliament made up of two Houses: the House of Representatives (Pratinidhi Sabha), which is the lower house, and the National Assembly (Rastriya Sabha), which is the upper house.

A bicameral design means legislation generally must be considered and agreed by both Houses before it can become law. The lower house is the larger, directly contested chamber that determines who forms the government, while the upper house acts as a more deliberative chamber that reviews bills and represents the provinces. Together with the President, who gives final assent to legislation, the two Houses exercise the federal legislative power of Nepal under Article 109.

The House of Representatives has 275 members and serves a term of five years unless it is dissolved earlier. Its members are chosen through a mixed (parallel) electoral system: 165 members are elected by the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system, one from each of the 165 electoral constituencies, and 110 members are elected by the proportional representation (PR) system, in which the whole country forms a single constituency and voters cast a vote for a political party.

To stand for the House of Representatives, a candidate must be a Nepali citizen and at least 25 years of age, among other qualifications set out in the Constitution. The PR system is designed to make the chamber inclusive: parties must draw their PR members from various groups (such as women, Dalits, indigenous communities, Khas Arya, Madhesis, Tharus, Muslims and people with disabilities) in proportions defined by law, and overall at least one-third of each party's combined elected members must be women.

The House of Representatives is the chamber from which the government is formed; the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers are responsible to it. After a general election, the President summons the first session of the Federal Parliament within 30 days of the declaration of the final results. The House can be dissolved before its five-year term under the procedures in Article 76 and Article 85, leading to fresh elections.

The National Assembly is a permanent house of 59 members that, unlike the House of Representatives, is never dissolved. Of its 59 members, 56 are elected — eight from each of Nepal's seven provinces — and three are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Government of Nepal. The appointed members must include at least one woman.

The 56 elected members are chosen not by the general public but by an electoral college in each province made up of the members of the provincial assembly and the chiefs and deputy chiefs of local governments (mayors/deputy mayors and chairpersons/vice-chairpersons). Votes in this college are weighted: each provincial assembly member's vote carries a weight of 48, while each local-level chief or deputy chief's vote carries a weight of 18. The eight seats per province are reserved to ensure inclusion, with at least three women, one Dalit and one person with a disability or from a minority community.

Members of the National Assembly serve six-year terms on a staggered basis: one-third of the members retire every two years, so part of the Assembly is renewed regularly while the chamber itself continues in existence. The minimum age to become a member of the National Assembly is 35 years.

Each House has its own presiding officers. The House of Representatives elects a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker from among its members, normally within 15 days of its first sitting; the Constitution requires that one of these two positions be held by a woman and that the Speaker and Deputy Speaker belong to different parties. The Speaker presides over the House, maintains order and conducts its business, and the office is expected to be impartial.

The National Assembly is led by a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson, and here too the Constitution requires that one of the two be a woman. The Chairperson performs the equivalent presiding role for the upper house. Both Houses generally require the presence of at least one-fourth of their total members to form a quorum for conducting business.

Some of the most significant decisions are taken by the two Houses sitting and voting together. A joint sitting of the Federal Parliament is used, for example, to amend the Constitution and to pass certain motions — such as impeachment of the President or Vice-President — which require approval by a two-thirds majority of the total members of both Houses.

Federal laws are made through bills, which are introduced in either House (subject to special rules for money bills). The Constitution's Part 9 (Articles 109–114) sets out the procedure, and Article 111 governs how bills pass between the two Houses.

The general path is: a bill is introduced and passed by one House, then transmitted to the other House; if the second House also passes it, the bill is presented to the President for assent and, once authenticated, becomes an Act. Special provisions apply to disagreements and to money bills (which deal with taxation and government finance). The steps below summarise the journey from bill to law.

The Federal Parliament's core functions are to make federal laws, to scrutinise and hold the government to account, and to debate matters of national importance. The House of Representatives in particular controls the life of the government: the Prime Minister must command its confidence, and it handles the federal budget and money bills.

The National Assembly's role is largely revisory and representative. As a permanent chamber it provides continuity, gives a stronger voice to the provinces in federal lawmaking, and reviews legislation passed by the lower house. Because it cannot be dissolved, it continues to function even when the House of Representatives is dissolved for elections.

The Constitution places clear limits on these powers. Parliament must legislate consistently with the Constitution, which is the fundamental law of the land; the courts can review laws for constitutionality; and amendments to the Constitution itself require a two-thirds majority of the total members of each House, with certain matters protected from amendment. This framework of two Houses, a presiding Speaker and Chairperson, presidential assent and judicial review defines how law is made and checked in federal Nepal.