Kathmandu, 8 Nov: Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari has stated that the Commission has completed 60 percent of the procedural work for the election. Speaking at the Federalism Strengthening and National Interest Committee of the National Assembly, Acting Chief Commissioner Bhandari said that the situation does not currently require the reinstatement or election of the House of Representatives.
Recalling the court’s order regarding the election after the dissolution in 2077 BS (2020 AD), he mentioned that the current dissolution occurred under different circumstances, and therefore, the Commission is proceeding with its preparations without any confusion. During the committee’s discussion on election preparations, Bhandari stated that while every movement in Nepal has replaced the constitution in the past, the current constitution remains intact. Reminding everyone that the President, as the guardian of the constitution, has set the date for government formation and the election, Bhandari said that an election is the best option to bring the governmental system into a managed state.
In the committee, Acting Chief Commissioner Bhandari said, “Currently, the House of Representatives has not been dissolved according to the constitution. The current dissolution and the previous one are different. Preparing for the announced election as per this is our responsibility. We are ready to hold the election. We are preparing.”
He reported that consultations have already been held with 29 political parties registered with the Election Commission and represented at various levels. He mentioned that during the political consultations, no party rejected the election outright, although some preconditions were raised. He also informed the committee that the parties are interested in the political environment for the election and in peace and security.
Bhandari stated that balancing new and old forces and ending the state of prohibition would help create a political environment conducive to elections. He informed that the security agencies are also ready for the election. He also mentioned that the necessary materials for the election have been identified. Out of 79 types of materials, he said that except for 10-12 items, other indigenous materials will be used.
‘Lack of Law’
Bhandari pointed out that there is a lack of laws for the process of enabling Nepalis residing abroad to participate in voting. He stated that although the Supreme Court had ordered the government to make a law over ten years ago, the work of drafting the law and practical studies has not been done. He mentioned that the Ministry of Home Affairs recently prepared a draft bill on involving citizens living abroad in voting and sent it to the Commission for suggestions, and the Commission has provided its feedback on it. Bhandari said that if the government makes and provides the law for voting for citizens living abroad, the Commission is ready to implement it.
He said, “The Home Ministry has now prepared a draft of the bill. It is estimated that our citizens reside in more than 170 countries. How to collect votes in those countries? Our country has diplomatic relations with only about 38-39 countries. We have been raising this issue for 10-12 years. This work does not fall solely under the Commission’s jurisdiction.” He informed that an additional 124,000 names were collected in the latest voter list enrollment. He mentioned that the current additional number is taken encouragingly, given that regular registration arrangements are in place.
Ballot Papers in Districts by Falgun 12
Commission Secretary and Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai provided information to the committee about the House of Representatives election and the internal schedule. According to the proposed schedule, party registration for the election proposed for Falgun 21 (5 March 2026) will be from Mangsir 1 to 10(Nov 17-26).
The office of the Proportional Representation Election Officer will be established on Mangsir 15. Similarly, the determination and publication of information about polling places and centers is proposed for Poush 15. The program for submitting the closed list of proportional representation candidates is proposed for Poush 18 and 19. The establishment of the office of the Directly Elected Election Officer is proposed for Magh 2. The election campaign period is proposed from Falgun 4 to 18. Likewise, it is proposed to deliver ballot papers to the districts by Falgun 12. However, the arrangement for the nomination of direct candidates has not been proposed yet.
