KATHMANDU, Feb 5: The Election Commission of Nepal has approved a new procedure to bring election spending under closer watch and reduce wasteful campaign costs.
The “House of Representatives Election Campaign Bank Account Operation and Management Procedure, 2025,” endorsed on Tuesday, aims to control, monitor, and discipline campaign expenses by political parties and candidates.
Under the rule, parties and candidates must open a separate bank account dedicated only to election campaigning. Parties must apply to the Commission secretariat, while candidates must apply to their respective election offices using a prescribed format. Required documents include an official party letter, a nomination slip or identity card, a bank signature card, and the citizenship certificate of the account operator.
Banks will open accounts only after document verification and recommendation by the Commission or the election office. Account details must be shared with the Commission, the election office, and the Office of the Financial Comptroller General.
Party accounts may be operated only through the joint signatures of up to two designated office bearers. Candidates may operate accounts individually or through joint signatures of up to two authorized persons. All campaign income and spending must be conducted in Nepali currency.
All donations and campaign expenses, including payments made through cheque, draft, TT, or electronic means, must go through the bank account. Cash donations above Rs 25,000 are banned and must be deposited directly into the account. Cash below that limit is allowed only with proper receipts or vouchers.
Donations from entities barred under the Political Parties Act, 2017, are strictly prohibited. These include government bodies, state-owned or controlled institutions, public limited companies with public shareholding, government or community schools, NGOs, foreign governments or individuals, and unidentified donors.
Donations above Rs 100,000 require full disclosure of donor identity, address, profession, PAN, source of funds, and tax details. Funds in old campaign accounts must be transferred to new accounts opened under this rule.
After elections, parties and candidates must publish expense details and submit them to the election offices. Accounts will be closed within 35 days, while records must be kept for six years. Monitoring will be carried out by the Office of the Financial Comptroller General.
The Commission says the rule addresses long-standing concerns over opaque funding, cash spending, and overshooting limits, and supports enforcement of the Election Code of Conduct 2025.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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