KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 7
Mahesh Kushwaha, a PhD candidate at the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University, in conversation with THT, stated that extending voting rights for Nepalis abroad is a great idea, but it could be counterproductive in the current political predicament.
According to him, in principle, expanding voting rights for Nepalis abroad is positive for democratic exercises, especially for a country that has millions of its citizens abroad who contribute billions in remittance. "Advocates and some political parties have rightly been raising this issue for years now, and in fact, even the Supreme Court has issued a verdict in the past on this, but due to several reasons, there seems to be no progress on this matter yet," he said.
"This means the current government's push to allow voting in the upcoming elections will prove counterproductive and may unfairly benefit some parties over others, especially due to an uneven access to this right for Nepalis in different countries or instance, migrant workers in Gulf countries or even India may not have the same access or political literacy to cast their votes."
He further said, "In the case of India, even if votes are cast, Nepali nationalists or even political parties who perform worse may question the overall legitimacy of the voting process there or accuse India or other actors of election meddling/manipulation."
He also highlighted that there are other logistical, legal and practical challenges too. "The Nepali government's preparation on this front isn't adequate, and hasty preparations will not yield a positive outcome," he added.
"Electronic/digital voting also faces risks of hacking and manipulation from malicious actors, especially if we look at our cybersecurity preparedness. In a country where political corruption, vote buying and other election malpractices are rampant, these risks persist in overseas voting as well."
