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Kathmandu, Nov 16: The government is preparing to amend election laws through an ordinance to allow Nepali citizens living abroad to participate in elections. This move aims to give voters registered in the electoral roll but residing overseas the opportunity to cast their ballots under the proportional representation system.

The draft ordinance prepared by the Ministry of Home Affairs has been sent to the Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs. Ministry spokesperson Anand Kafle said, “The draft ordinance has been submitted to the law ministry and proposes amendments to four acts.”

According to Kafle, the amendments cover the Electoral Roll Act, the House of Representatives Member Election Act, the Election Offences and Punishment Act, and the Election Commission Act. Once these changes are approved, Nepalis abroad will be able to vote under the proportional system.

The draft does not yet address Nepalis who reside in Nepal but are temporarily in a different electoral constituency. Discussions on this aspect are ongoing, Kafle added.

A law ministry official said the ordinance will be sent to the concerned ministry after necessary revisions. Once approved by the cabinet, it will be issued by the President and published in the official gazette before coming into effect. Officials involved in the process said all procedures are being prepared to be completed within a week.

The draft ordinance proposes using embassies or consulates as polling stations, with embassy staff appointed as voting officers. These staff will also verify the electoral rolls.

The Supreme Court had ordered a decade ago that Nepalis living abroad should be allowed to exercise their voting rights, but previous governments did not implement it. The current government, formed after the Gen Z protests on Sept 23–24, is now taking steps to implement that ruling.

The House of Representatives election has been scheduled for Feb 21. Political parties are currently registering, with the deadline for receiving registration certificates ending today.

People’s News Monitoring Service