Nepal

The Election Commission on Monday announced that the presidential election would be held on March 9. 

Articles 63 and 69 of the Constitution stipulate the terms of the President and the Vice President shall be for five years. 

The term of the incumbent President, who was elected on the post on March 11, 2018 ends on March 12, 2023 and the incumbent Vice President, who was elected to the position unopposed on March 18, 2018 ends on March 17, 2023.  

As per the Act relating to the President and the Vice President, the EC shall announce the election dates and inform the government. The election schedule shall be published in the Nepal Gazette. Through the government chief secretary, the EC shall write to the Council of Ministers about the election programmes. The government shall facilitate the EC to conduct the elections.

The date for the vice presidential election has been fixed on March 17. Vice President Nanda Kishore Pun was re-elected to the post on March 18, 2018.

The commission also informed the government about the dates of the presidential and vice presidential elections on Monday.

The Act on the elections of the President and Vice President stipulates that the Election Commission shall set the election date and inform the government thereof.

Members of the Federal Parliament and the Provincial Assemblies vote in the presidential election.
The determination of the date was delayed due to contradictory provisions in the Constitution and differing rules in the Presidential Election Act.

The main opposition Nepali Congress had demanded that the presidential election be held before March 13.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli also discussed the presidential election during their meeting at Baluwatar.

According to EC spokesperson Shaligram Sharma Poudel, the elections will take place from 10am to 3pm on those dates at the Parliament building in New Baneshwor. 

Members in the Federal Parliament and the Province Assembly in seven provinces are voters for the elections. However, province-wise polling centres could not be ensured due to existing legal provisions.

As per the endorsed election programmes, the voters’ name list for the Presidential election will be published between 10 and 11am on February 22 and 10am to 3pm on February 25 has been fixed for registering candidacy nomination(s).  

Similarly, the programme to register the candidacy nomination(s) for the election of the Vice President has been set from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm on March 11.