President Poudel Issues Ordinance to Enable New Voter Registration

President Ramchandra Poudel, acting on the recommendation of the government, issued an ordinance on Wednesday amending the Voter List Act, 2073. The move opens the door for the Election Commission to collect names of new voters ahead of the upcoming elections.

Under the previous provisions of the law, voter registration for the House of Representatives election scheduled on Falgun 21, 2082, was not allowed. Subsection 2 of Section 4 of the Voter List Act, 2073, specifically prohibits adding names to the voter list once the election date is announced for that particular election.

Prior to this amendment, the Election Commission had conducted voter registration ahead of the 2079 elections. However, for the upcoming election, the existing law had restricted the addition of new voters to the electoral roll.

To address this, the Election Commission had last Sunday formally requested the Ministry of Home Affairs to allow voter registration. The ministry forwarded the recommendation to the Council of Ministers for consideration.

Responding to the recommendation, President Poudel, under Subsection (1) of Article 114 of the Constitution of Nepal, issued the ordinance. This legal provision enables the government to make necessary amendments through presidential ordinance in consultation with the Council of Ministers.

With the ordinance in place, the Election Commission can now begin collecting names of eligible voters for the upcoming election, ensuring broader participation in the democratic process.