KATHMANDU: The Nepal Policy Institute (NPI) has recommended that the Election Commission introduce a system enabling Nepali citizens living abroad to participate in national elections, starting with the 2026 polls.
Submitting a nine-point policy brief titled “External Voting Arrangements for Nepali Citizens Abroad: For the 2026 Election and Beyond” to Election Commissioner Januka Thuladhar and other senior officials, NPI urged the government to ensure voting rights for millions of Nepalis working, studying, or living overseas.
The think tank proposed a hybrid external voting model, combining in-person voting at embassies, postal voting, and secure online e-voting, drawing lessons from Mexico and the Philippines, both of which have extended voting rights to their overseas citizens.
“Providing voting access to Nepalis abroad is about ensuring their constitutional right and engaging them meaningfully in the nation’s future,” said NPI Chairperson Dr. Khagendra Raj Dhakal. He noted that e-voting, which allows voters to cast ballots securely over the internet, offers a more inclusive solution than traditional electronic voting systems.
The NPI’s policy recommendations have also been shared with the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The issue of external voting has regained prominence following the recent Gen Z movement, which called for greater political accountability and inclusion. Dr. Dhakal said the government now has “a historic opportunity to demonstrate political will” by enabling Nepalis abroad to vote.
Nepal’s Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to vote, and the Supreme Court has previously directed the government to ensure that citizens living abroad can exercise this right. However, despite repeated commitments from political parties, the provision has yet to be implemented.
NPI has proposed drafting a separate legal framework for external voting, incorporating digital voter registration and e-voting for proportional representation elections. The policy brief also recommends multi-day voting to maximize participation.
In the medium and long term, the institute suggests that Nepal should institutionalize e-voting as a central part of its election system, not only for citizens abroad but also for internal migrants such as employees, students, and vulnerable groups unable to reach their home constituencies.
The NPI study, based on a comparative review of external voting practices in more than 115 countries, concludes that e-voting would be most effective in Gulf and Malaysian contexts, while postal voting could work better in countries like Australia, South Korea, Japan, European nations, and North America, where postal systems are efficient.
The policy brief was prepared by Dr. Dhakal and Liza Maharjan, incorporating insights from former Chief Election Commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety, former Election Commission Secretary Gopinath Mainali, migration expert Sharu Joshi Shrestha, and Dr. Ambika Adhikari.
NPI has been conducting policy research on migration and diaspora issues for the past eight years.
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