Former Election Chief Questions Voting Barriers for Citizens Within the Country

Kathmandu: Former Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Thapalia has questioned why every person living within the country cannot vote from the place where they are located on election day. He stated that every citizen should be able to vote from their workplace.

During an interaction program on Thursday titled "Fourth Estate in Elections: A Discussion on Investigative Journalism," he mentioned that certain clauses in the constitution allow government employees and police to vote away from their permanent residence, but the same law does not allow laborers, private company employees, and journalists to do so. He argued that such clauses are not right.

He said, "We have also submitted this in the proposed law; let's not talk too much about things outside the country for now. Why shouldn't people who go out with microphones to find news be able to vote from wherever they are on election day? I am not saying this to get applause for journalists. I am saying this because—why should one get to vote just because they are a government employee or a policeman, but not if they are a laborer? Why not those working in private companies? Why not journalists? Can such a clause even be called a law?"

He further stated that all Nepalis within Nepal should be allowed to vote at least for the Proportional Representation category from any location in the country, adding that this would increase a sense of ownership. He also remarked that, from a journalistic perspective, we are currently in the preliminary stages of the election.