Kathmandu, October 3
With the dissolution of the House of Representatives and federal elections set for coming February (Falgun), the election schedule is being revised. Unlike in 2017 and 2022, when federal and provincial elections were held simultaneously, this time they will take place in separate phases.
The House of Representatives election has been scheduled for March 5, while the provincial assembly elections will only be held in 2028. Local level elections will also be conducted the same year, with local polls taking place before the provincial vote.
The last provincial elections were held on November 20, 2022. Completing the five-year term means the next provincial elections will likely fall around November 2028. Similarly, the last local elections were held on May 14, 2022, which sets the next round for late April 2028.
In the past, when all three levels of elections were conducted together, the federal government itself was dissolved as the House’s tenure ended at the same time. This time, however, that scenario will not occur.
The elections were rescheduled after the House was dissolved following the Gen-Z protests of September 8–9. Then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was forced to resign, and with no possibility of forming a new government from within parliament, an interim government led by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki was appointed.
Acting on the interim government’s recommendation, President Ram Chandra Paudel dissolved the House and set March 5 as the election date.
Election Commission officials said that while there had been discussion of holding all three elections together, the dissolution of the House and the announcement of the new date has now paved the way for elections to be held in three separate phases.
