Nepal's Interim PM convenes all-party meeting, assures about timely commencement of election

Kathmandu [Nepal], December 5 : With 90 days left for the commencement of the election announced after the Gen-Z uprising of September, Nepal's Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki on Friday convened an all-party meeting.

The meeting, which continued for nearly three hours at the Prime Minister's Official residence, Baluwatar, the Prime Minister assured leaders of major political parties about the timely commencement of the upcoming March election.

"Now, let us not think about whether elections will commence or not. If all the political parties sit in one place and come for the election as a joint force with the hope that the country will change as per the demands of the time and given circumstances, then there will be no disruptions. Those with bad intentions will not be able to attack anywhere. First of all, all the 126 political parties should be confident that the election will be held on time. Secondly, if we are united, no one can disrupt the election process," the Interim Nepali Prime Minister Sushila Karki said.

As per the Prime Minister's Secretariat, Gagan Thapa and Pushpa Bhusal attended the meeting from Nepali Congress; Shankar Pokharel, Mahesh Bartola from Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML); Shakti Basnet and Prakash Jwala from Nepali Communist Party.

Shishir Khanal and Shobita Gautam attended the all-party meeting with Prime Minister from Rastriya Swatantra Party; Rajendra Gurung and Bhuvan Pathak from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), Prakash Adhikari from Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal, and Narendra Chaudhary from the Janamat Party had attended the meeting.

"The incidents of September 8 were unprecedented. Analysis, interpretation, and there is time to get to the bottom of it, but the incident that day brought change in the life of the nation. After that incident, the two-thirds majority government, elected government, fell, and a new government was formed. Petitions have been filed in the court regarding it; the court will continue with its procedure. In the current context, if there had been an interim order, then we would have to halt all the proceedings (for the election), but that's not the case; there are no roadblocks ahead," Karki briefed the political parties.

Apart from the political representatives, the heads of all security agencies, as well as the intelligence, also attended the meeting held in the evening. The meeting was also attended by officials from the Election Commission, including the acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari.

With only 90 days remaining until the election of members of the House of Representatives, scheduled for March 5, 2026, the Election Commission and other concerned bodies have continued to intensify the preparations.

The Election Commission (EC) has also called on political parties wishing to participate under the proportional electoral system to submit their applications.

Following the developments triggered by the Gen-Z movement on September 8 and 9, an interim government was formed under former Chief Justice Karki, after the House of Representatives was dissolved. One of the primary mandates of the current government is to conduct the election.

As of now, 126 political parties have applied to the Commission to participate in the election. Major parties and emerging forces, including CPN-UML, which has been demanding parliamentary restoration and an improved election environment, have submitted their applications.

Around 800,000 new voters have been added through the Commission's voter list collection and updating process, and verification of these entries is ongoing.

The Election Commission has requested a budget of approximately Rs 7 billion, of which the Ministry of Finance has already secured Rs 5.96 billion. The integrated election security plan, prepared jointly by the government and the Commission, is now in effect.

Preparations such as the procurement of necessary materials, equipment, and the collection of applications from national and international observer organisations are underway. The ordinance regarding voting rights for Nepali voters abroad and inter-district voting is still pending a final decision.

Following the re-evaluation of polling stations and centres, preparations are underway to begin recruiting temporary police (election security personnel). Alongside these measures, the Commission is preparing voter education programs, information dissemination, press operations, and the operation of the call centre.

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