Nepal’s Election Commission (EC) has intensified preparations for the general election on March 5, 2026, with a wide range of initiatives aimed at ensuring an inclusive, informed, environment-friendly, and secure polling.
From expanded voter registration and nationwide information drives to a “green election” push and a major security mobilisation, the commission is eyeing to streamline the first-ever electoral process since the September uprisings that toppled the ruling communist government.
Expanded online registration
As the voters’ registration closed on Friday (November 21), the EC recorded an additional 837,094 new voters.
This brings the 2026 voting roll to 19,005,324, an increase of about five per cent compared to the 2022 polls, as reported by local newspaper The Kathmandu Post.
Voters were able to register physically through district offices and online using their national ID cards.
From this figure, officials expect over a million first-time voters for the March polls.
“We believe a majority of the newly-registered voters are youth,” Suman Ghimire, information officer at the commission, told the Post.
The expansion was initiated by Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki, who requested the integration of national ID data into the commission’s system, and a five-day deadline extension to accommodate newly registered voters.
Nationwide info drives
To minimise invalid ballots, the commission is launching a nationwide voter education campaign starting in December.
Invalid ballots accounted for 5.06% of the overall votes cast during the 2022 parliamentary elections.
Of these, 4.07% came from first-time voters.
This year, the government has allocated NPR4.96 billion for election operations.
This includes the budget for voter educational efforts.
Public service announcements will be aired via national radio and television stations, while informational content will be published through newspaper ads, digital news portals, and social media platforms.
Civic organisations are also eyeing to produce their own information drives, aimed at educating voters about the purpose of their votes.
“Voter education in a true sense should inform the people what kind of people to vote for,” former Election Observation Committee chief Pradip Pokharel told the Post.
“If the commission cannot do so, it can mobilise civil society organisations for that.”
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‘Green elections’
Complementing these initiatives, the EC has introduced a “Green Election” code, prohibiting the use of plastic and other non-biodegradable materials in political campaigns.
Outlined in Chapter 6 of the new election code of conduct, the provision “requires all election-related activities to be carried out in ways that minimise harm to the environment,” online news portal My Republica reported.
The code mandates political parties to engage in digital campaigns and proper waste management to mitigate the environmental impact of political caucuses.
It also aims to minimise pollution by promoting the use of electric vehicles over fossil-fuelled ones during electoral campaigns.
Enhanced security
Security preparations are also underway.
Starting on November 26, the government will deploy around 341,000 security personnel nationwide.
This will include 79,000 security forces from the Nepali Army, 72,000 from the Nepal Police, 33,000 from the Armed Police Force, and 130,000 from temporary police units.
This initiative will be enforced as part of the “Integrated Security Plan-2025”, which aims to curb security threats related to past uprisings, prison escapees, and potential political clashes.
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