- Type
- Act
- Year
- २०७३ BS
- Status
- In force
- Category
- खण्ड ३: सङ्घीय संसद, राजनीतिक दल तथा निर्वाचन · Volume 3: Federal Parliament, Political Parties and Elections
- Official text
- Official page Official text (PDF)
- English translation
- Official English translation archived copy: the original page is no longer online
Includes amendments up to: 2075 BS. Translations may not include later amendments. The Nepali text is the authoritative law.
Analysis drawn from official reports, court rulings and published research, each cited. Figures are being double-checked against the source documents; corrections are welcome.
What does it do?
- The Act sets out the powers of the Election Commission (Article 245 of the Constitution) for elections of the President, Vice-President, Federal Parliament, provincial assemblies and local governments, including by-elections. Unless federal law says otherwise, the Government of Nepal fixes the election date, after consulting the Commission. The Commission may ask federal, provincial and local governments to arrange security, take help from any public body, use public (and, on payment, private) buildings, vehicles and equipment, deploy monitoring teams, and permit domestic and foreign observers, who must follow its code of conduct and report within 30 days.यस ऐनले राष्ट्रपति, उपराष्ट्रपति, सङ्घीय संसद्, प्रदेश सभा र स्थानीय तहका निर्वाचन (उपनिर्वाचनसमेत) सम्बन्धी निर्वाचन आयोग (संविधानको धारा २४५) का काम, कर्तव्य र अधिकार तोक्छ। सङ्घीय कानूनमा अन्यथा नभए निर्वाचन मिति आयोगको परामर्श लिई नेपाल सरकारले तोक्छ। आयोगले संघ, प्रदेश र स्थानीय सरकारलाई सुरक्षा प्रबन्ध गर्न लेखी पठाउन, कुनै पनि सार्वजनिक निकायबाट सहयोग लिन, सार्वजनिक (र भाडा तिरेर निजी) जग्गा, भवन, सवारी र सामान प्रयोग गर्न, अनुगमन टोली खटाउन, र स्वदेशी तथा विदेशी पर्यवेक्षकलाई अनुमति दिन सक्छ; पर्यवेक्षकले आयोगको आचारसंहिता पालना गरी ३० दिनभित्र प्रतिवेदन दिनुपर्छ। Nepal Law Commission (lawcommission.gov.np), consolidated official text Sections 2(ख), 2(च), 3–8, pp. 1–5
- On a complaint with clear evidence before results are declared, the Commission decides within seven days whether a candidate is disqualified. If an inquiry shows that threats, fear or other undue influence affected the fairness of polling, the Commission may cancel the election in a constituency or at some or all polling centres.नतिजा घोषणा हुनुअघि स्पष्ट प्रमाणसहित उजुरी परे आयोगले सात दिनभित्र उम्मेदवारको अयोग्यताबारे निर्णय गर्छ। धाक, धम्की, डर, त्रास वा अन्य अनुचित प्रभावले मतदानको निष्पक्षतामा असर परेको छानबिनबाट देखिए आयोगले सो निर्वाचन क्षेत्र वा केही वा सबै मतदान केन्द्रको निर्वाचन रद्द गर्न सक्छ। Nepal Law Commission (lawcommission.gov.np), consolidated official text Sections 9–10, pp. 5–6
- The Commission issues an election code of conduct, after consulting stakeholders, binding government offices and staff, the security forces, election staff, parties, candidates, media and NGOs; it can, for example, bar the government from announcing new policies or programmes or using state media for campaigning. It may order breaches stopped, fine those who do not comply up to Rs 100,000, and cancel a candidacy after a hearing if a breach makes a free and fair election impossible.आयोगले सरोकारवालासँग परामर्श गरी सरकारी कार्यालय र कर्मचारी, सुरक्षा निकाय, निर्वाचनमा खटिने कर्मचारी, राजनीतिक दल, उम्मेदवार, सञ्चारमाध्यम र गैरसरकारी संस्थाले पालना गर्नुपर्ने निर्वाचन आचारसंहिता बनाउँछ; जस्तै सरकारलाई नयाँ नीति वा कार्यक्रम घोषणा गर्न वा सरकारी सञ्चारमाध्यम प्रचारमा प्रयोग गर्न रोक लगाउन सक्छ। उल्लंघन रोक्न आदेश दिन, आदेश नमान्नेलाई एक लाख रुपैयाँसम्म जरिवाना गर्न र स्वच्छ निर्वाचन हुन नसक्ने भए सफाइको मौका दिई उम्मेदवारी रद्द गर्न सक्छ। Nepal Law Commission (lawcommission.gov.np), consolidated official text Sections 22–23, pp. 9–10
- The Commission sets a maximum election spending limit for parties and candidates. Parties and candidates must file expense statements with receipts within 30 days of final results, which may be audited. Spending over the limit or not filing can be fined up to the amount spent or the limit, whichever is higher; since the 2082 amendment, unusual or illegal spending found by audit, or non-filing, can be fined the amount spent or Rs 500,000, whichever is higher.आयोगले दल र उम्मेदवारले गर्न पाउने निर्वाचन खर्चको अधिकतम हद तोक्छ। दल र उम्मेदवारले अन्तिम नतिजा प्रकाशित भएको ३० दिनभित्र बिल भरपाईसहित खर्च विवरण पेश गर्नुपर्छ, र त्यसको लेखापरीक्षण गराउन सकिन्छ। हदभन्दा बढी खर्च गरे वा विवरण पेश नगरे गरेको खर्च वा तोकिएको हदमध्ये जुन बढी हुन्छ सो बराबर जरिवाना हुनसक्छ; २०८२ को संशोधनपछि लेखापरीक्षणबाट अस्वाभाविक वा गैरकानूनी खर्च देखिए वा विवरण नबुझाए गरेको खर्च वा पाँच लाख रुपैयाँमध्ये जुन बढी हुन्छ सो बराबर जरिवाना गर्न सकिन्छ। Nepal Law Commission (lawcommission.gov.np), consolidated official text Sections 24–26, p. 11
- The Commission has its own secretariat, provincial and other offices, and may recommend departmental action against officials who fail in election duties (the body must act within three months). It submits an annual report to the President under Article 294 of the Constitution and makes it public, and deals with the government through the Ministry of Home Affairs.आयोगको आफ्नै सचिवालय, प्रदेश र अन्य कार्यालय हुन्छन्; निर्वाचनको जिम्मेवारी पूरा नगर्ने कर्मचारीमाथि विभागीय कारबाहीका लागि आयोगले लेखी पठाउन सक्छ र सम्बन्धित निकायले तीन महिनाभित्र कारबाही गर्नुपर्छ। आयोगले संविधानको धारा २९४ बमोजिम राष्ट्रपतिसमक्ष वार्षिक प्रतिवेदन पेश गरी सार्वजनिक गर्छ, र सरकारसँग गृह मन्त्रालयमार्फत सम्पर्क गर्छ। Nepal Law Commission (lawcommission.gov.np), consolidated official text Sections 15–16, 43–45, 47, pp. 7–17
Gaps, loopholes and improvement ideas
- Not enforced In its 2081/82 annual report the Election Commission says that, although campaign spending through a bank account has been made mandatory for transparency, the practice of spending through other channels has not been fully ended — which reduces the effect of the spending limits and reporting duties in Sections 24–26.निर्वाचन आयोगको २०८१/८२ को वार्षिक प्रतिवेदनअनुसार निर्वाचन प्रचारप्रसारमा पारदर्शिताका लागि बैंक खाता प्रयोग अनिवार्य गरिए पनि अन्य माध्यमबाट खर्च गर्ने प्रवृत्ति पूर्ण रूपमा अन्त्य हुन सकेको छैन, जसले दफा २४–२६ का खर्च सीमा र विवरण बुझाउने व्यवस्थाको प्रभावकारिता घटाउँछ। Election Commission, Nepal · Nepal Law Commission (lawcommission.gov.np), consolidated official text EC annual report 2081/82, s.14.3, PDF p. 136 (printed p. 116); Act Sections 24–26, p. 11
- Outdated The Commission lists as a policy and legal challenge that election dates are not fixed by law (it cites periodic election dates set in law as good practice), while Section 3 leaves the date to the government after consulting the Commission. It also reports that the election-management bill it proposed, to modernise the legal framework, has not moved forward.आवधिक निर्वाचनको मिति कानूनद्वारा निर्दिष्ट गर्ने जस्ता असल अभ्यास अवलम्बन गर्न नसकिएको आयोगले नीतिगत तथा कानूनी चुनौतीका रूपमा उल्लेख गरेको छ, जबकि दफा ३ ले आयोगको परामर्शमा सरकारले मिति तोक्ने व्यवस्था गरेको छ। आयोगले प्रस्ताव गरेको निर्वाचन व्यवस्थापन विधेयक अगाडि बढ्न नसकेको पनि प्रतिवेदनमा उल्लेख छ। Election Commission, Nepal · Nepal Law Commission (lawcommission.gov.np), consolidated official text EC annual report 2081/82, s.14.1, PDF p. 134 (printed p. 114); Act Section 3, p. 3
Ideas to fix it
- The Election Commission asks for its proposed election-management bill and the amendment bill to the Political Party Act to be passed, so that electoral-system reforms and the rules that depend on them can proceed.निर्वाचन प्रणालीमा सुधार र त्यसमा निर्भर नियमावली निर्माणका लागि आफूले प्रस्ताव गरेको निर्वाचन व्यवस्थापन विधेयक र राजनीतिक दल सम्बन्धी ऐनको संशोधन विधेयक पारित हुनुपर्ने निर्वाचन आयोगको माग छ। Proposed by: Election Commission, Nepal (Annual Report 2081/82) Election Commission, Nepal
Where does it conflict with other laws?
No conflict with another law is documented in the sources we have reviewed so far.
Regulations and rules made under it
- निर्वाचन आयोग नियमावली, २०७३ In force