Nepalis are losing their civil rights to participate in the democratic activities of their country regardless of their location in the world. Especially, the participation of Nepalese who are outside the country has not been able to participate in the election process which is considered as a celebration of democracy. As a result, about five million citizens have been deprived of the opportunity to choose their representatives.

Whereas, their interest in political activities within the country is more. They closely observe the political process of the country where they are living, the working style and thinking system of the parties and leaders there, which they are trying to make relevant in Nepali politics.

They are speaking and writing about the political behavior that Nepal should follow and the need for leadership. But all these processes are limited to public discussion, not collected in the ballot box. Therefore, if the citizens living abroad can be included in the voting process, it is certain that it will contribute greatly to the improvement of the quality of Nepali politics. The Government of Nepal and the Election Commission should seriously prepare for this.

The Supreme Court had issued a directive order on 7th Chait 2074 in the name of the government and the Commission to grant voting rights to adult Nepalis abroad. He also asked to create an environment where Nepali citizens living abroad can participate in voting by the next (2079) election, but it was not implemented.

Then the Supreme Court ordered on July 1. In the background of no concrete progress on this issue, newly appointed Home Minister Omprakash Aryal said in a discussion at the Election Commission on Thursday that he is trying to make it possible for Nepalis living abroad to participate in voting, and the hope that this issue will take a concrete path has increased.

However, the issue of Nepalis abroad participating in elections is not new. Many Nepalis living abroad voted in the referendum held on 20 Baisakh 2037. For overseas voters, there was a polling station at the Nepali Embassy, ​​Consulate and Nepali Permanent Mission to the United Nations in the respective country.

As mentioned in the 'Electoral History' book published by the Election Commission, government employees, employees of government or organized organizations and their family members were allowed to vote. At that time, there was a provision that the person who wanted to include his name in the electoral roll should bring his passport with him to write his name and the person who does not have a passport should get an identity card from the Nepali diplomatic mission.

It cannot be rational in any sense that a process that was practiced in a manner 45 years ago is not being implemented now. Even in terms of process, Nepal itself has experience in this matter. On the other hand, technology has evolved a lot in the meantime. By using it, it is easy to connect citizens living abroad in the voting process. Likewise, Nepal is not the only one to start a new practice. Even now, 141 countries in the world have given voting rights to migrants.

The processes they follow are different. About 95 countries in the world provide the right to vote for citizens living abroad through various styles and technologies, while 46 countries have limited voting rights and 29 countries have such facilities in a controlled manner. In the US, voting is also done from the International Space Station, which is about 400 kilometers above the earth. Citizens of different countries can use the postal facility.

They can go to the embassy of the respective country and vote. They can also vote online. Other countries have determined procedures according to their convenience. Nepal can also study the processes adopted by those countries, their strengths and weaknesses and adopt a process that suits them. 

There are no challenges regarding the participation of migrant Nepalis in the voting process. Nepalis have reached almost every country. There are those who reach it legally and there are those who reach it illegally. In India, aujau is also used informally. But the government does not even have essential details such as how many Nepalis are outside the country, what status they are in, whether they have taken citizenship of that country or not. There is no data on how many Nepalis are in which country.

Therefore, preparing the list of citizens eligible to vote is the most challenging task. On the other hand, elections may not be held in all countries, the government there may not facilitate the process of voting by Nepalis. Managing law and order during elections is also a challenge. Efforts have to be made to create peace and security strategies in the country, temporary police should be recruited for additional strength, government employees working in various agencies should be assigned, local and foreign organizations should be brought in for monitoring, but it is difficult to implement all these methods abroad. Or management of financial and technical resources may be challenging.

After a few elections, the influence of Nepalis living abroad on the election results of Nepal has started to be analyzed. The fact that they participate in the elections themselves can bring about extensive changes in the results of the elections. Traditional political parties and their leadership may not agree with this as they are the center of public opinion against them. But they also have to be prepared. For that, transparent communication should be done. No matter how much the

is a challenge, once the process is started, the challenges will be resolved. Experience will teach. So what happens, where it can happen, whether it can be both direct and proportional or one, it is important to start. If the government wants to, it can also be practiced in the elections of February 21.

For this, the democratic and constitutional rights of the citizens should be kept higher than the technical challenges, and they should be sensitive and honest about it. It is also a constitutional right. Article 84(5) of the Constitution of Nepal states that "Every Nepalese citizen who has completed eighteen years of age shall have the right to vote in any constituency in accordance with the federal law". A technical bond that narrows the exercise of rights given by the Constitution is not appropriate.

In the same way, almost 15 percent of the population of Nepal has not been able to use the right to vote due to the fact that citizens living abroad are not given the opportunity to vote. If such a large population is not able to participate in the voting process, voting within the country alone cannot carry the special meaning of voting.