Kathmandu: The Election Commission (EC) has initiated the process of updating the voters’ list in preparation for the upcoming election to the House of Representatives, scheduled for March 5 next year. The update process commenced on Thursday.
According to National News Agency Nepal, this move follows the authentication of an ordinance to amend the Voter Registration Act, 2073, by President Ramchandra Paudel. With this amendment, the Commission has started registering new voters. The registration process will continue until November 16. As per the Commission’s spokesperson, Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, Nepali citizens who are over 16 years old and possess a Nepali citizenship certificate can register their names at the concerned provincial and district election offices. These registrations can be done every day from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, excluding public holidays. However, Bhattarai emphasized that newly registered individuals will only be eligible to vote once they turn 18.
The Commission has also urged citizens to provide their biometric details to the concerned election office through the ‘pre-registration’ system available on the Commission’s website. It is estimated that by November 2 this year, the number of voters aged 18 and above will reach 18.68 million.