Kathmandu — Election Commissioner Dr. Janaki Tuladhar has pledged that the Election Commission will further strengthen the voting process through gender-responsive, disability-inclusive, and socially inclusive approaches in the coming years. She stated that many existing shortcomings would be addressed once the Election Bill, currently under discussion in the House of Representatives, is enacted into law.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony of the Election Observation Report on the 2082 House of Representatives Election from a Gender, Disability, and Social Inclusion Perspective, organized by the Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD), Dr. Tuladhar said:

“The Election Commission is committed to mainstreaming gender, disability-friendly, and inclusive practices more effectively in the electoral process. Polling centers and voter education materials will gradually be developed in accordance with accessibility standards for all citizens.”

She further emphasized the importance of expanding the use of technology in line with changing times, institutionalizing training on gender, disability, and social inclusion for election officials and volunteers, and strengthening the collection, analysis, and publication of election data categorized by gender, disability, and inclusion indicators. Special voter education programs targeting women, youth, persons with disabilities, citizens from remote areas, and other marginalized communities will also be expanded.

Advocate Sagar Pathak presented the findings of the election observation report, which was prepared by a consortium of 15 non-governmental organizations under the leadership of FWLD. According to the report, several provisions outlined in the Election Commission’s guidelines were not fully implemented, and a more detailed analysis of polling centers is necessary.

Pathak noted that although the election was conducted in a peaceful, fair, and environmentally friendly manner, significant improvements are still needed to make electoral processes more gender-responsive, disability-friendly, and socially inclusive.

The report was prepared using the GEDSI (Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion) observation methodology, covering polling locations before voting, the voting process itself, and vote-counting procedures. Under FWLD’s leadership, 15 civil society organizations collaborated in the observation exercise.

According to Pathak, the report is based on direct observation of 156 polling centers located across 46 electoral constituencies in 55 local governments within 23 districts spanning all seven provinces of Nepal.

The report was jointly unveiled by program chair Mira Dhungana, chief guest Dr. Janaki Tuladhar, FWLD Executive Director Advocate Sabin Shrestha, and Arpana Shrestha.

Executive Director Shrestha expressed confidence that the Election Commission would address the shortcomings identified in the report, particularly the lack of adequate information at polling centers.

He pointed out that while separate queues for male and female voters were available at most polling stations, the needs of other groups were largely overlooked. Many centers lacked first-aid services, drinking water facilities, breastfeeding rooms, rest areas, and disability-friendly infrastructure. Insufficient attention was also given to elderly and physically vulnerable voters on their return routes after casting ballots.

The event, moderated by Advocate Rojina Shrestha, also featured representatives from various non-governmental organizations involved in the election observation process. They shared their experiences, challenges encountered during observation, and recommendations for improving future elections.