The Election Commission has formally announced that neither Nepalis living abroad will get to vote nor will out-of-constituency voting be possible in the March 5 snap polls.

Though the top officials at the commission had informally been ruling out the possibility of voting from other than the voter’s permanent residence, the constitutional poll body had not spoken publicly, as the Sushila Karki government had been reiterating its commitment to make it possible.

Organising a press briefing on Friday, the commission announced that ensuring the right to franchise from the places other than from the respective constituencies of the voters was not possible in the lack of timely preparations.

“We were unable to make the required legal and technical preparations this time,” said Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, the commission spokesman. Ever since its formation, the Karki government has been facing pressure from different quarters to ensure those residing in their home places and in the foreign land can vote in the March 5 elections for the House of Representatives.

The Gen Z leaders coupled by the leaders from the newly formed parties have been voicing for voters unable to reach their designated polling stations due to employment, education, medical treatment and other reasons.

Bhattarai said although the commission could not extend this facility to the general electorate, it will, as in previous elections, allow inter-constituency voting rights to a select group of people. It has already compiled a temporary voter list of police personnel and government employees deployed on election duty, prisoners, and senior citizens residing in old-age homes.

Even until two weeks back, the Karki government was poised to issue an ordinance to amend the existing election laws to clear the legal hurdles to allow the out of country and out of constituency voting. After finalising the ordinance the the Ministry of Home Affairs had forwarded it to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs for the review. The law ministry in turn had forwarded it to the home ministry.

However, it was not endorsed by the Cabinet.

As per informed sources, after learning it was not possible to ensure voting rights to Nepalis residing abroad even if the legal hurdles were cleared, a section had advised President Ramchandra Paudel against issuing the ordinance. Issuing ordinance alone was meaningless without concrete logistic and diplomatic measures to this effect, said the sources.

Talking to the Post, top officials at the commission had said a few months back that allowing diaspora to vote requires at least two years of preparations.

“When there are only three months left you cannot pressure the commission to ensure voting, which requires at least two years of preparation. We are ready to resign from our positions to clear the way for those who can make this happen. That is our challenge to them,” a commissioner had told the Post last month.

Different Gen Z groups and leaders from Rastriya Swatantra Party have been pressing the government to ensure voting rights to the Nepali diaspora citing the Supreme Court’s ruling.

A division bench of justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Purushottam Bhandari, on April 27, 2017, had directed the government to allow Nepali citizens living abroad to vote.

“Make all necessary arrangements for ensuring the voting rights of all Nepalis living abroad,” the verdict said. It said Nepalis who have not renounced their citizenship, not acquired citizenship of another country, hold the voter identity card issued by the Election Commission of Nepal, and have their names on the lists updated by a diplomatic mission should be allowed overseas voting.

With no progress in implementation, the court’s Judgment Enforcement Directorate, in July, reminded the commission to implement the order. The directorate was activated following the pressure from lawyers affiliated to the RSP.