KATHMANDU, Sep 26: Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki, in her first address to the nation on Thursday, announced that the government is preparing measures to allow Nepali migrant workers abroad to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for March 5.
The statement comes as a significant reassurance to hundreds of thousands of Nepalis working overseas, who have long demanded their constitutional right to vote. Department of Immigration data shows that 1.674 million Nepalis went abroad in 2024 for various reasons, including work, education, family, or permanent migration.
While the government has expressed its commitment, authorities acknowledge that enabling citizens abroad to vote is not an easy task.
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According to senior Election Commission (EC) officials, two possible models are currently under review: online voting and establishing physical polling centers abroad. However, both options are proving to be “extremely difficult” to implement effectively.
“Digital or internet-based voting appears attractive at first, but Nepal’s record in cybersecurity does not inspire confidence,” said one official. “The risks of hacking, manipulation, or technical failure are too high, and we cannot afford a crisis that could compromise the legitimacy of the entire election.”
Physical polling centers abroad present a different set of challenges. Setting up booths in countries with large concentrations of Nepali workers—such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and the UAE—would require massive financial resources and complex coordination with host governments. The costs of staffing, ballot transportation, and security would multiply exponentially, making this option difficult to sustain.
Logistical questions also remain unresolved: which cities would host polling booths, how migrant workers scattered across vast geographic areas could access them, and whether embassies and consulates have the capacity to manage the process.
While the Nepali diaspora may welcome the Prime Minister’s announcement, skepticism remains about whether meaningful progress can be achieved before the March elections.
Meanwhile, the EC, which has been consulting experts on the matter over the past week, has not issued any formal solution. “We have not issued any official notice regarding this. But if any viable options emerge, we will definitely consult with the government about implementing them,” said Suman Ghimire, information officer at the EC.
