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- २०७३ BS
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- खण्ड ३: सङ्घीय संसद, राजनीतिक दल तथा निर्वाचन · Volume 3: Federal Parliament, Political Parties and Elections
- Official text
- Official page Official text (PDF)
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 Election Commission compiles and updates the voter list for every ward, through chief registration officers and registration officers it appoints in each district; it can draw on staff of government bodies and teachers of community schools. A person can register if they are a Nepali citizen, have turned 18 by the date the Commission sets in the Nepal Gazette, and permanently live in the ward. People living in rented business premises, staff quarters, barracks, hospitals, hostels, orphanages, old-age homes or prisons are not counted as permanent residents there.निर्वाचन आयोगले प्रत्येक जिल्लामा तोक्ने प्रमुख नाम दर्ता अधिकारी र नाम दर्ता अधिकारीमार्फत हरेक वडाको मतदाता नामावली संकलन र अद्यावधिक गर्छ; यसका लागि सरकारी निकायका कर्मचारी र सामुदायिक विद्यालयका शिक्षकलाई पनि लगाउन सक्छ। नेपाली नागरिक, आयोगले राजपत्रमा तोकेको मितिमा १८ वर्ष पूरा भएको र सम्बन्धित वडामा स्थायी बसोबास भएको व्यक्ति मतदाता बन्न सक्छ। व्यापार वा कार्यालयका लागि भाडामा लिएको घर, कर्मचारी आवास, ब्यारेक, अस्पताल, छात्रावास, अनाथालय, वृद्धाश्रम वा कारागारमा बस्नेलाई त्यहाँको स्थायी बासिन्दा मानिँदैन। Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal Sections 4–8, pp. 3–5
- Once an election date is announced, no new names are added for that election. A 2083 amendment makes an exception when the House of Representatives is dissolved before its term ends: registration must then continue until 45 days before the date set for candidate nominations. People who move because of marriage or migration can transfer their registration by showing proof of the marriage or move.निर्वाचनको मिति घोषणा भएपछि सो निर्वाचनका लागि नयाँ नाम दर्ता हुँदैन। २०८३ को संशोधनले प्रतिनिधि सभाको कार्यकाल पूरा हुनुअघि नै विघटन भएको अवस्थामा उम्मेदवारको मनोनयनका लागि तोकिएको मितिभन्दा ४५ दिनअघिसम्म नाम दर्ता गर्नुपर्ने अपवाद थपेको छ। विवाह वा बसाइँसराइका कारण अन्यत्र बस्न थालेका व्यक्तिले विवाह वा बसाइँसराइको प्रमाण पेस गरी नाम सार्न सक्छन्। Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal Section 4(2) proviso (2) and (2A), pp. 3–4; Section 9, p. 6
- Draft lists are published so that people can ask for corrections or object to wrongly included names; the Commission then publishes the final voter list, which is also placed on its website. When a voter dies or gives up citizenship, family members or others must inform the registration officer with proof so the name can be removed.नामावली प्रकाशित गरी सच्याउन वा झुटो विवरण दिएर समावेश भएका नामविरुद्ध उजुरी गर्न मौका दिइन्छ; त्यसपछि आयोगले अन्तिम मतदाता नामावली प्रकाशित गर्छ र वेबसाइटमा पनि राख्छ। मतदाताको मृत्यु भएमा वा नागरिकता त्याग गरेमा एकाघरका सदस्य वा अन्य व्यक्तिले प्रमाणसहित नाम दर्ता अधिकारीलाई सूचना दिनुपर्छ र नाम हटाइन्छ। Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal Sections 13–15, pp. 6–7; Sections 18 and 20, p. 8; Section 24, p. 9
- For proportional-representation elections to the House and provincial assemblies, the Commission may prepare a separate temporary voter list for registered voters away from home, such as government staff, soldiers and police in barracks, prisoners and detainees (except those serving sentences for election offences), staff and security personnel on election duty, and residents of government-approved old-age homes. Registering with false details and other listed acts are offences punishable by fines and short prison terms.प्रतिनिधि सभा र प्रदेश सभाको समानुपातिक निर्वाचनका लागि आयोगले घरबाहिर रहेका दर्ता भएका मतदाता, जस्तै सरकारी कर्मचारी, ब्यारेकमा रहेका सेना र प्रहरी, कारागारमा रहेका थुनुवा र कैदी (निर्वाचन कसुरमा सजाय भोगिरहेकाबाहेक), निर्वाचनमा खटिएका कर्मचारी र सुरक्षाकर्मी, र सरकारी स्वीकृतिमा सञ्चालित वृद्धाश्रमका बासिन्दाका लागि छुट्टै अस्थायी मतदाता नामावली बनाउन सक्छ। झुटो विवरण दिएर नाम दर्ता गराउनेजस्ता कामलाई कसुर मानी जरिबाना र छोटो कैद सजाय तोकिएको छ। Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal Section 30, pp. 10–11; Sections 31–32, pp. 11–12
Gaps, loopholes and improvement ideas
- Outdated Young people who turn 18 just before an election can be left out. The EU Election Observation Mission found that in 2017 around 170,000 young people who turned 18 between the registration deadline (21 August 2017) and election day could not register, because the law requires a person to be 18 on the registration date set by the Commission.निर्वाचनको केही समयअघि १८ वर्ष पुगेका युवा छुट्न सक्छन्। युरोपेली संघको निर्वाचन पर्यवेक्षण मिसनका अनुसार २०१७ मा नाम दर्ताको अन्तिम मिति (२१ अगस्ट २०१७) र मतदानका दिनबीच १८ वर्ष पुगेका करिब १,७०,००० युवाले कानूनले आयोगले तोकेको मितिमा नै १८ वर्ष पुगेको हुनुपर्ने भनेकाले नाम दर्ता गराउन पाएनन्। European Union Election Observation Mission to Nepal 2017 · Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal EU EOM 2017 Final Report, Voter Registration, report pp. 15–16 (PDF pp. 16–17); Act s. 6(b), p. 4 and s. 4(2) proviso (2), p. 3
- Outdated Transferring registration is hard for people who rent. The EU Mission found the transfer rules overly restrictive: voters must prove permanent residence in the new place with documents such as a migration certificate, land ownership and building completion certificate, electricity bill or, for women, a marriage certificate, so people in rented rooms or informal settlements cannot transfer. Only 35,057 voters (0.2% of the electorate) transferred their registration in 2017.भाडामा बस्नेलाई नाम सार्न कठिन छ। युरोपेली संघको मिसनका अनुसार नाम सार्ने नियम अत्यधिक कडा छन्: नयाँ ठाउँमा स्थायी बसोबास प्रमाणित गर्न बसाइँसराइ प्रमाणपत्र, जग्गाधनी र घर निर्माण सम्पन्न प्रमाणपत्र, बिजुलीको बिल वा महिलाका हकमा विवाह दर्ता प्रमाणपत्रजस्ता कागजात चाहिने हुँदा भाडामा वा अनौपचारिक बस्तीमा बस्नेले नाम सार्न सक्दैनन्। २०१७ मा ३५,०५७ मतदाता (कुल मतदाताको ०.२ प्रतिशत) ले मात्र नाम सारेका थिए। European Union Election Observation Mission to Nepal 2017 · Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal EU EOM 2017 Final Report, Voter Registration, report p. 16 and footnote 19 (PDF p. 17); Act ss. 7–9, pp. 5–6
- Not enforced Dead voters are not reliably removed. The EU Mission found no effective system for removing deceased persons from the list: removal is left entirely to family members, who have no incentive to report a death, so the real registration rate is lower than the reported 90% of the voting-age population.मृतक मतदाताको नाम भरपर्दो रूपमा हटाइँदैन। युरोपेली संघको मिसनका अनुसार नामावलीबाट मृतकको नाम हटाउने प्रभावकारी प्रणाली छैन; नाम हटाउने काम पूर्ण रूपमा परिवारका सदस्यमा छोडिएको र उनीहरूलाई सूचना दिने प्रोत्साहन नहुँदा वास्तविक दर्ता दर मतदान उमेरका जनसंख्याको ९० प्रतिशत भनिएभन्दा कम छ। European Union Election Observation Mission to Nepal 2017 · Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal EU EOM 2017 Final Report, Voter Registration, report p. 16 (PDF p. 17); Act s. 18(1), p. 8
- Not enforced Temporary voters were not able to vote. The EU Mission reported that at least half a million potential voters (about 3% of the electorate), namely election officials and security personnel on duty, prisoners and residents of old-age homes, were denied the chance to vote in 2017, even though the law foresees them as temporary voters who may vote in the proportional elections.अस्थायी मतदाताले मतदान गर्न पाएनन्। युरोपेली संघको मिसनका अनुसार २०१७ मा निर्वाचनमा खटिएका कर्मचारी र सुरक्षाकर्मी, कैदी र वृद्धाश्रमका बासिन्दा गरी कम्तीमा पाँच लाख सम्भावित मतदाता (कुल मतदाताको करिब ३ प्रतिशत) मतदानबाट वञ्चित भए, यद्यपि कानूनले उनीहरूलाई समानुपातिक निर्वाचनमा मत दिन सक्ने अस्थायी मतदाताका रूपमा परिकल्पना गरेको छ। European Union Election Observation Mission to Nepal 2017 · Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal EU EOM 2017 Final Report, Voter Registration, report p. 16 (PDF p. 17); Act s. 30, pp. 10–11
Ideas to fix it
- Relax transfer requirements so that people in rented accommodation and informal settlements can transfer their registration; let citizens register if they turn 18 by election day; let temporary voters vote in both constituency and proportional elections; and audit the voter register to remove deceased voters.भाडामा र अनौपचारिक बस्तीमा बस्नेले पनि नाम सार्न सकून् भनेर नाम सार्ने शर्त खुकुलो बनाउने; मतदानको दिनसम्म १८ वर्ष पुग्ने नागरिकलाई नाम दर्ता गर्न दिने; अस्थायी मतदातालाई प्रत्यक्ष र समानुपातिक दुवै निर्वाचनमा मत दिन दिने; र मृतक मतदाताको नाम हटाउन मतदाता नामावलीको लेखापरीक्षण गर्ने। Proposed by: EU Election Observation Mission to Nepal 2017 European Union Election Observation Mission to Nepal 2017
- Bring the Voter Registration Act together with the other election Acts into a single integrated Election Management Act; the Commission sent its draft bill to the Home Ministry in 2080 and a revised draft in 2081.मतदाता नामावली ऐनलाई अन्य निर्वाचन ऐनसँगै एकीकृत निर्वाचन व्यवस्थापन ऐनमा समेट्ने; आयोगले यसको मस्यौदा २०८० मा र संशोधित मस्यौदा २०८१ मा गृह मन्त्रालयमा पठाएको 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.