Overview

• President Ramchandra Paudel signed an ordinance under Article 114(1) amending Section 4(2)(2) of the Voter Registration Act to allow additions to the rolls after the election date was announced.
• The change clears the way to register newly eligible youth voters who would otherwise have been excluded under the previous cutoff rule.
• The Election Commission said it will draft an action plan to collect new names, including listing 16-year-olds who will be 18 by March 4, 2026.
• Nepal has 18,148,654 registered voters as of mid-April, a baseline the commission expects to expand before the vote.
• The step follows Prime Minister Sushila Karki’s meetings with the commission and the president as the interim government readies for the March 5, 2026 election and addresses security preparations.