52,865 new voters registered with EC for 2026 polls

By Arpana Adhikari,Kathmandu, Oct. 16: Five weeks have passed since the Gen Z movement shook Nepal on September 8 and 9, 

Acting on the recommendation of the interim government formed in the wake of Gen Z movement, President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives (HoR) on September 13 and announced elections for March 5, 2026. 

However, even after the passage of a month, several youth groups which are actively engaged in the new political course, remain unregistered in the political arena. 

The Election Commission (EC) has opened registration for new political parties from October 6 to November 16, while parties intending to contest the March 5, 2026 House of Representatives (HoR) election must register for electoral purposes between November 17 and 26. Any new political parties wishing to participate must complete their registration and obtain a certificate before October 16, as only registered parties will be eligible to take part in the March 5 elections.

Despite showing political interest, the youth-led Gen Z group, campaigning for good governance and a corruption-free nation, has yet to file an application for registration. 

EC Information Officer Suman Ghimire said several groups, including some Gen Z representatives, have visited the Commission for inquiries, but none have formally registered.

Daily three to four groups of people reach EC to inquire for the party registration, the EC informed. 

So far, 124 political parties are registered with the EC, including two newly approved, Deepak Kumar Sah-led Janaswaraj Party, formed after splitting from the Janamat Party, and Keshav Bahadur Magar-led Rastriya Janamukti Party, a breakaway from the Nepal Janamukti Party.

The EC has also received three additional applications, including those from Dharan Mayor Harka Sampang’s Shram Sanskriti Party, advocate Surendra Bhandari’s Nepal Nagarik Party, and Gyan Tamang’s Ujyalo Nepal Party. 

The Commission has sought further documents from these parties as required under Section 5 of the Political Parties Act, 2016, which mandates submission of the party’s statute, flag, and electoral symbol samples, signatures of at least 500 registered voters with citizenship or voter ID copies, and a minimum 21-member central committee.

According to the Election Commission (EC), clarification has been sought from Sampang’s party regarding certain provisions in its statute, and from the other two parties concerning missing supporter signatures.

Although registration for newly proposed political parties remains open until November 16, the EC noted that the registration process is lengthy. 

Even parties that submit all required documents typically need about a week to complete registration due to multiple verification steps, including checks of party names, names of party members, their citizenship numbers and other records.

Therefore, the Commission has urged aspiring groups to submit their applications as early as possible to avoid delays.

As per the Commission’s schedule, the parties willing to contest the poll should register separately for the purpose. However, not every party registered with the commission participates in elections. 

52,865 new voters registered 

According to Election Commission (EC) Information Officer Ghimire, as of Wednesday, a total of 52,865 new voters have been registered since the resumption of voter registration on September 25.

Following the reopening, the number of youths registering at EC offices has been steadily increasing. Citizens who turn 18 by March 4, 2026, will be eligible to register, with the deadline for updates set for November 16, he added.

Normally, voter roll updates are suspended once elections are announced. However, the President recently issued an ordinance amending this provision, allowing the process to continue in preparation for the upcoming polls.

By November 2, 2025, the number of voters expected to have reached 18 years of age is projected to be 18,168,230. 

The EC reported that as of mid-April, 18,148,654 voters had already been registered, an increase of roughly 160,000 compared to the 2022 general elections.

EC intensifies election preparations 

Beside the party and voter’s registration, the Commission has begun preparing the necessary legal framework for the upcoming election. The Commission plans to amend and revise around a dozen directives, procedures, and standards required for the election.

According to Commission Secretary Mahadev Pantha, work is underway to draft the procedures, directives, and standards essential for conducting the election. He stated that all such documents would be finalised before the commencement of the election period.

The Commission informed that procedures and directives concerning financial and human resource management, voting, vote counting, training and orientation, monitoring and observation, election disputes and hearings, designation of polling stations and centres, and the election code of conduct, among others, must be prepared. 

However, for the time being, the preparation of two key procedures, financial and human resource management, has been deemed most urgent, he added. 

Meanwhile, the Commission is holding a discussion with political parties on Thursday. The EC has invited all the political parties, even the small parties for discussion. The meeting will cover topics such as revisions to the election code of conduct and the ceiling on election expenditure.