Voting Underway Nationwide for House of Representatives Election Amid Special Circumstances

Voting for the House of Representatives election is taking place across Nepal today under special circumstances following the Gen-Z movement. Polling began at 7:00 AM and will continue until 5:00 PM in all 77 districts in a single phase, according to the Election Commission. This is the third parliamentary election held since Nepal entered the federal democratic republican system. The previous elections were conducted in 2017 and 2022.

In this election, voting is being held for 165 seats under the first-past-the-post system and 110 seats under the proportional representation system. A total of 65 political parties are contesting in the direct electoral system. Altogether, 3,406 candidates are competing in the direct category, including 3,017 men, 388 women, and one candidate from another gender category. Under the proportional representation system, 3,135 candidates are competing, including 1,363 men and 1,772 women.

According to the Election Commission, a total of 18,903,689 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in this election. Among them are 9,663,358 male voters, 9,240,131 female voters, and 200 voters from other gender categories. Additionally, 186,142 temporary voters have also been registered to participate in the voting process.

Across the country, 10,967 polling locations with 23,112 polling centers have been established, along with 143 temporary polling stations. Special priority arrangements have been made at polling centers for senior citizens, persons with disabilities, physically weak individuals, and pregnant women.

A large number of security personnel have been deployed to ensure a safe and orderly election. Security arrangements include 79,727 personnel from the Nepal Army, 75,797 from Nepal Police, 34,567 from the Armed Police Force, 1,921 from the National Investigation Department, and 149,090 election police officers. In addition, around 215,000 personnel have been mobilized to manage and conduct the election process.

To ensure transparency and credibility, observers from four international organizations and 39 national institutions have been deployed. President Ram Chandra Paudel, Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister Sushila Karki, and Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari have urged citizens to actively participate in the voting process.