The government has set March 5, 2026, as the date for the new House of Representatives election.
This follows the Gen Z protests on September 8 and 9, which ousted CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and led to the dissolution of the House of Representatives, necessitating a new election.
In the upcoming election, 165 seats will be contested under the first-past-the-post system, and 110 seats will be allocated through proportional representation.
The Gen Z uprising has led to a political consensus and the formation of a new government. There is also a responsibility to institutionalize the demands for change through the election.
With only about six months, or 170 days, remaining until the election, we spoke with some former chief election commissioners and commissioners about how challenging it is to hold an election within this period and what preparations the government and the Election Commission need to make.
Since the House of Representatives has been dissolved, there is no way to address the issues raised by the youths through constitutional amendments. However, election laws can be reformed through ordinances, as suggested by the former chief election commissioners and commissioners too.
What needs to be done immediately to conduct the House of Representatives election in March?
Based on discussions with the former chief election commissioners and commissioners, we have outlined nine key points:
1. An election is not just a technical or administrative matter; it is fundamentally political. To successfully conduct the election on March 5, cooperation among all political parties is essential.
Major parties have already indicated that they will participate in the election and are encouraging their workers to focus on the election.
To ensure the election's success, the government must make a public appeal within five to seven days and take political parties into confidence. It must call a meeting of all parties and stakeholders.
Political parties must also support this process, understanding that they need an election and nothing has gone wrong now. They must understand that the dissolved House of Representatives will be re-elected.
2. This is a government formed through the Gen Z uprising. Naturally, it must address the demands for change.
For this, some timely reforms can be made to the election laws. But minimum political consensus must be forged on the issues that need reforms. In a party system, parties must be taken into confidence. Changes to election-related laws can be made through ordinances. Currently, we have the House of Representatives Election Act, the Voter List Act, and the Political Parties Act.
To address the demands of the younger generation, age limits for candidates can also be set.
For example, under Bhutan’s election laws, a person who has reached 65 years of age cannot be a candidate. A person without a bachelor’s degree cannot be a candidate in the National Assembly and National Council elections. Even if nominated, their candidacy is canceled. Similar provisions can be implemented here.
Similarly, the number of young candidates can be set by amending election laws. Just as we have ensured 33 percent representation for women, youth participation can also be guaranteed.
3. There are some legal gaps in voter registration. Typically, election dates are known in advance, allowing the Election Commission to update voter lists.
However, the House of Representatives election date is uncertain. The House of Representatives sometimes fails to complete its full term (like the current dissolution), which may have caused such confusion.
Section 4 (2) of the Voter List Act of 2016 states that after the election date is announced, no new voters will be registered for that election. This means that voters who register in the voter list after the election date is announced cannot vote in that election. In simpler terms, voters registered now or recently will not be able to vote in the March 5 election.
Many of those who took part in the Gen Z uprising may not be on the voter list. To prevent them from being disenfranchised, the provision related to voter registration in the existing election law can be amended to reopen voter registration. A provision can be introduced allowing those who registered 60 or 90 days before the election to vote.
The Election Commission had proposed this in its draft of the new election law.
Similarly, a legal provision must be made allowing all persons who complete 18 years on the day before the election to vote.
4. To ensure broader voter participation, additional reforms are needed. Currently, civil servants and police deployed for elections can vote where they are stationed. But those who work in media, industries, and the informal sectors cannot vote.
There should be a provision allowing voters who are employed or engaged in business to cast ballots from their workplace if they cannot go to their designated polling station. This can be implemented in this election. This provision will help create an atmosphere for the election. It was also included in the proposed law.
5. Under current laws, parties not registered 90 days before an election cannot participate. The government should call for new party registrations, mergers, or reorganizations to avoid political disputes that could disrupt the electoral environment.
Article 269 of the Constitution deals with party registration. Article 271 requires registered parties to re-register for election purposes.
This means previously registered parties must re-register for elections. Registering a party takes a minimum of 40–45 days as the Election Commission need to review documents.
6. The previous House election cost Rs 5.62 billion. The upcoming election is estimated to cost around Rs 6 billion. Given that the election is being held to institutionalize changes, this amount is not significant. Past experiences show that staff management is not a major issue either.
7. In the previous election, 182,000 security personnel and 115,000 temporary police were deployed for polling stations, centers, counting centers, and ballot paper transportation. A similar number is expected this time. Managing this is not overly difficult.
8. If the Election Commission makes minimal technical improvements in finalizing polling centers, analyzing existing voting materials, managing ballot boxes, and other matters, there will be no challenge in holding the election within the given period.
9. Some systemic reforms can also be made to address the aspirations of the current movement and the younger generation.
Finance Minister Rameshore Khanal had submitted a report recommending reforms to the previous government last year. It included two points on election expenses.
First, to ensure transparency in political parties’ expenses, the state should adopt a system of funding them.
Election laws must be amended to draft its framework. The amended election laws must limit the donations and contributions political parties are allowed to receive.
Second, currently, those with money within political parties become politicians, contest elections, and become representatives. To stop this, further amendments to the Political Parties Act may not be feasible. However, 8-10 points can be included on financial transparency of parties, setting expenditure limits in elections, providing state funding, and mandating audits by the auditor general.
Since political parties are entities formed under the Constitution, their accounts can be audited by a constitutional body.
Previously, political parties did not do this since others would check and find out about their accounts. Starting this practice now will create a new electoral atmosphere. The youth will be encouraged. It will pave the way for institutionalizing change.
