Kathmandu — Nepal has taken a significant step toward enabling its citizens living abroad to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for February, after a draft ordinance paving the legal path for overseas voting reached the Ministry of Home Affairs. According to senior officials, the long-awaited provision will only become operational if the government is able to establish the necessary administrative and logistical mechanisms in time. The renewed debate over external voting has intensified in recent weeks, even though historical records show that Nepal has allowed overseas ballots in select elections several decades ago.

Former Chief Election Commissioner Surya Prasad Shrestha recalls that Nepali citizens living abroad were allowed to participate in the 1967 National Panchayat’s “Graduate Constituency” elections through Nepali diplomatic missions. Serving as a deputy secretary at the time, he was responsible for arranging overseas polling stations at embassies and ensuring that ballots cast abroad arrived in Nepal before counting began. Nepal’s officially published electoral history confirms that four members were elected through the Graduate Constituency beginning in 1962, with a designated official responsible for preparing the voter list. Only graduates whose names appeared on that list were permitted to vote.

Another major precedent emerged during the 1980 national referendum. Former Election Commissioner Ramabhakta P.B. Thakur recalls casting his vote at the Nepali embassy in Paris while studying in France. He states that embassy staff, government-affiliated employees, and Nepali students were also allowed to vote, and all ballots were sent to Nepal through diplomatic mail. Official documents note that polling centers were set up in New Delhi, Kolkata, London, New York, Washington D.C., Paris, and other cities where Nepal maintained diplomatic missions. For that referendum, a passport was mandatory for overseas voters, and those without one could obtain an identity document from the mission.

External voting has resurfaced as a policy priority after the government’s think tank, the Policy Research Institute, advised that overseas voting is both possible and desirable. Officials say the government is now preparing an ordinance to amend election and voter-registration laws so that Nepalis abroad can participate. But former commissioner Shrestha warns that today’s context is far more complex than it was decades ago. The Nepali population abroad has grown dramatically, and without careful study, he argues, the electoral process could face disruptions.

Thakur, who led a study team that visited Gulf countries in 2014, notes that embassy-based voting is feasible but requires early preparation. The study suggested beginning voter list verification two to three months in advance and holding overseas voting about a week before Nepal’s election day, with sealed ballot boxes stored securely. Participation estimates vary widely: large countries might see only 30–35 percent turnout among Nepalis able to reach embassies, while smaller countries could reach up to 60 percent.

There is also no consensus on how many Nepalis live abroad. Nepal’s Central Bureau of Statistics estimates around 800,000 eligible voters outside the country, whereas the Election Commission believes the number of Nepali citizens abroad could be as high as four million. This discrepancy has added uncertainty to ongoing policy discussions about the scale and cost of implementing external voting.

Now that the draft ordinance has reached the Home Ministry, the government’s decisions, administrative capacity, and technical readiness will determine whether overseas Nepalis can cast ballots in the February election. A right demanded for years may finally move forward—if political will and practical preparation align in time.