The government is preparing to introduce an ordinance to amend election-related laws in order to facilitate voting for Nepalis living abroad. However, the Election Commission has told the government that it is not possible to conduct voting from abroad due to time constraints for the elections scheduled for March 5, challenges in managing financial resources, and ambiguities in several legal provisions.
Researchers, however, claim that elections can still be conducted by March 5 at low cost and easily through Internet voting (i-voting).
Khagendra Raj Dhakal, a researcher at the Nepal Policy Institute, says that if the government shortens the public procurement period through an election-related ordinance, Internet voting could be held on March 5.
In a policy briefing by Dhakal and researcher Liza Maharjan, they recommended bringing internationally recognized companies to Nepal for Internet voting.
“Nepal does not need to build a new Internet voting platform for voter registration and voting for citizens abroad,” the policy brief states. “Certified digital platforms are already in operation worldwide, and they are ready to provide services for overseas voting.”
The study notes that technologies such as Switzerland’s government-owned Swiss Post, the UK’s privately owned Smartmatic, America’s Sequent Tech, and the UK’s Electa could be used for Internet voting.
The Philippines uses the American company Sequent Tech’s system for voting. The company, in partnership with the Philippines’ SMS Global, won the contract for Internet voting for 2025.
Researcher Dhakal says that foreign companies charge around USD 10 per person for both registration and voting, and around USD 5 per person for voting alone.
A previous study by former election commissioner PV Thakur had cited that South Sudan incurs USD 460 per person for overseas voting. But Dhakal argues that Internet voting is many times cheaper.
Dhakal told Setopati that in discussions with Smartmatic, the company stated that it could design, test, train, and prepare the system for elections within 12 to 13 weeks.
The company claims to have facilitated 650 billion votes in 35 countries so far without a single security breach.
Dhakal says that small countries like Nepal would not face security challenges when working with world-class companies.
The study by the Nepal Policy Institute states that voter verification could be done using biometric data collected for national ID cards and passports.
It also states that at least one week should be allocated for Internet voting. The Philippines, however, provides one month for online voter registration and one month for voting.
The Philippines allows those who have foreign citizenship as well as Filipino citizenship to vote. However, Nepal’s Constitution grants Non-Resident Nepali citizenship without political rights.
Government officials argue that since 36 countries where Nepalis reside permit dual citizenship, it would not be possible to verify whether a person has acquired foreign citizenship, making overseas voting unfeasible. However, the study by Dhakal and Maharjan recommends facilitating overseas voting by requiring voters to declare that they have not acquired foreign citizenship and making false declarations punishable by law through the ordinance.
Dhakal says that Internet voting could also allow people residing within Nepal to vote without having to travel to their home constituencies.
The Policy Research Institute’s study also mentions the possibility of using technology-based postal voting. But Dhakal argues that once technology is used for voter registration and verification, Internet voting becomes the most accessible option.
“Our suggestion is that once voters abroad register on the voter list, they receive a code via email and vote,” Dhakal says. “If the Election Commission of Nepal sends OTPs (one-time passwords) to voters abroad via SMS, foreign telecoms may block them. So if SMS is to be used, the government must coordinate with those countries beforehand. Otherwise, it would be appropriate to send OTPs via email.”
Dhakal claims that online voting systems are safe because they use facial photo verification technology.
“If the government opts for online voting within November, elections can be conducted by March 5,” Dhakal says. “It is the state’s responsibility to grant the voting right to people. The stakeholders in this are the people, not political parties. Parties cannot be used as an excuse to deprive citizens of their rights.”
Dhakal and Maharjan recently gave a presentation on their study to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Election Commission.
The institute’s study states that in-person voting could also be arranged in some countries.
“In countries like Oman, Thailand, Bahrain, South Africa, and Spain, voting can be arranged at Nepali embassies, where citizens can cast their ballots within embassy premises,” the study states.
The study also suggests postal voting for countries with good and reliable postal services. It mentions that postal voting would be feasible in Australia, Japan, South Korea, European countries, and North America.
The study states that Nepal’s universities and IT companies could be appointed as third-party auditors for cybersecurity testing of Internet voting systems.
