INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, MARCH 21Leaders of major parties in Nepal have shown strong support for granting voting rights to Nepali
RT-PCR requirement waived off for Nepalis travelling to India
Pact inked for same airfare for foreigners, Nepalis
Acknowledging that administrative, logistic, and legislative procedures have to be followed, leaders have cast
confidence that allowing Nepalis abroad to vote for national election was completely doable.
Speaking at policy dialogues
held by the Nepal Policy Institute on "Migrant Nepali Workers, National Economy, and State Policies", some prominent political leaders said
this.The panel was joined by Prakash Sharan Mahat of Nepali Congress, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali of CPN UML, Upendra Yadav of Janata Samajbadi
Party-Nepal and Pampha Bhusal of CPN- Maoist Centre, among others.Presenting the main findings of some research work carried out by NPI on
the matter of voting rights of migrants, Chair of the NPI Board of Directors Khagendra Dhakal referred to international good practices on
this subject and also highlighted the stances of major political parties in Nepal to the extent that they may or may not have broached the
subject with any degree of specificity.Speakers at the programme asserted their commitment to implementing the Supreme Court judgment on
this matter.However, they emphasised the importance of due process and the need for resolute considerations.Issuing a directive order in
2018, the Supreme Court had stated that it was the duty of the government to enable every citizen living in the country or abroad to vote in
However, even four years after the Supreme Court issued a directive order to the government to ensure voting rights for Nepalis living
abroad, the government has not done anything regarding the matter
It has not even drafted a new election bill to ensure voting rights for Nepalis living abroad.In line with this, Mahat said ensuring free
and fair elections was equally important.He further said it was important to explore possible ways to implement external voting.He also
outlined the risks of voter fraud using the examples of the recent US presidential election
This concern was also shared by Bhusal while recounting the incidents of the NRNA elections
However, both leaders have recognised that voting fraud can happen within Nepal as well
This highlights the need to focus on minimising the risk factors.In consideration of all the risk factors, Bhusal said, "The Government of
Nepal is in the process of making a law to ensure voting rights for Nepalis living abroad."Gyawali, on the other hand, distinctly outlined
the administrative and parliamentary procedure in implementing this mandate
"As the primary stakeholder, the Election Commission has the responsibility of drafting the election manifesto for external voting," said
Gyawali.In this discussion, NPI proposed the use of i-voting (internet voting) based on the release of their policy brief on "External
Voting Rights for Nepalis Abroad: Reflections from International Practices." In presenting the brief, NPI Chairperson Khagendra Dhakal
highlighted evidence from more than 150 countries around the world having a legal framework for external voting
This includes many countries that are just as, or even more, constrained and capacity challenged as Nepal.Member of the NPI Board of
Directors, Sharu Joshi moderated the webinar event and exhorted the political parties to take up this subject expeditiously.A version of
this article appears in the print on March 22, 2022, of The Himalayan Times
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com