Leaders of major political parties are positive about ensuring such rights
KATHMANDU, MARCH 21
Leaders of major parties in Nepal have shown strong support for granting voting rights to Nepali citizens living abroad.
Acknowledging that administrative, logistic, and legislative procedures have to be followed, leaders have cast confidence that allowing Nepalis abroad to vote for national election was completely doable.
Speaking at policy dialogues held by the Nepal Policy Institute on "Migrant Nepali Workers, National Economy, and State Policies", some prominent political leaders said this.
The panel was joined by Prakash Sharan Mahat of Nepali Congress, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali of CPN UML, Upendra Yadav of Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal and Pampha Bhusal of CPN- Maoist Centre, among others.
Presenting the main findings of some research work carried out by NPI on the matter of voting rights of migrants, Chair of the NPI Board of Directors Khagendra Dhakal referred to international good practices on this subject and also highlighted the stances of major political parties in Nepal to the extent that they may or may not have broached the subject with any degree of specificity.
Speakers at the programme asserted their commitment to implementing the Supreme Court judgment on this matter.
However, they emphasised the importance of due process and the need for resolute considerations.
Issuing a directive order in 2018, the Supreme Court had stated that it was the duty of the government to enable every citizen living in the country or abroad to vote in the elections. However, even four years after the Supreme Court issued a directive order to the government to ensure voting rights for Nepalis living abroad, the government has not done anything regarding the matter. It has not even drafted a new election bill to ensure voting rights for Nepalis living abroad.
In line with this, Mahat said ensuring free and fair elections was equally important.
He further said it was important to explore possible ways to implement external voting.
He also outlined the risks of voter fraud using the examples of the recent US presidential election. This concern was also shared by Bhusal while recounting the incidents of the NRNA elections. However, both leaders have recognised that voting fraud can happen within Nepal as well. This highlights the need to focus on minimising the risk factors.
In consideration of all the risk factors, Bhusal said, "The Government of Nepal is in the process of making a law to ensure voting rights for Nepalis living abroad."
Gyawali, on the other hand, distinctly outlined the administrative and parliamentary procedure in implementing this mandate. "As the primary stakeholder, the Election Commission has the responsibility of drafting the election manifesto for external voting," said Gyawali.
In this discussion, NPI proposed the use of i-voting (internet voting) based on the release of their policy brief on "External Voting Rights for Nepalis Abroad: Reflections from International Practices." In presenting the brief, NPI Chairperson Khagendra Dhakal highlighted evidence from more than 150 countries around the world having a legal framework for external voting. This includes many countries that are just as, or even more, constrained and capacity challenged as Nepal.
Member of the NPI Board of Directors, Sharu Joshi moderated the webinar event and exhorted the political parties to take up this subject expeditiously.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 22, 2022, of The Himalayan Times
