Kathmandu [Nepal], September 24 (ANI): Nepal President Ram Chandra Paudel on Wednesday issued an ordinance amending the Voter Roll Act, 2016, clearing the path for Generation Z voters to be enrolled in the upcoming electoral list.
According to the President’s Secretariat, the ordinance was issued under Article 114(1) of the Constitution, following the recommendation of the Council of Ministers. The amendment alters Section 4(2)(2) of the Voter List Act, which had previously barred voter registration once an election date was announced.
The newly appointed interim government, led by Prime Minister Sushila Karki, has scheduled elections for March 5 next year. Under the earlier provision, “Once the date of election is announced, no voter registration shall be made for that election.” This restriction had excluded many eligible citizens, especially young voters who had recently reached voting age, from participating in elections.
The ordinance addresses this gap, allowing broader youth participation. Many Gen-Z individuals who played active roles in recent political changes had been unable to register before the election announcement.
This move follows political upheaval in early September, when violent protests on September 8–9 led to the resignation of then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, resulting in the deaths of 74 people. In the wake of these protests, President Paudel appointed former Chief Justice Sushila Karki as interim Prime Minister, based on recommendations from youth representatives.
Prime Minister Karki, Nepal’s first female interim head of government, also recommended dissolving the House of Representatives—a key demand of protestors—granting her six months to hold parliamentary elections. She assumed office on September 12.
The protest movement, led largely by Gen-Z activists, had argued that tens of thousands of young voters could be disenfranchised under the existing law. Section 4, subsection 2(2) of the Voter Registration Act, 2073, stated: “No person shall be registered in the voters’ list for the purpose of an election after the date of that election has been declared.”
If the law had remained unchanged, only those registered by September 12 would have been eligible to vote in the next elections. According to the Election Commission, as of mid-April this year, 18,148,654 voters were listed, up from 17,988,570 in the previous elections held in November 2022. This marks an increase of 160,054 voters over two and a half years, including men, women, and others.
The ordinance now ensures that newly eligible voters, particularly from Gen-Z, will have the opportunity to participate fully in Nepal’s democratic process.
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