Participation of Marginalized Communities in Nepal’s 2017 House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly Elections: Status and Barriers
FOREWORD
Democracy can be institutionalized and sustained only through holding of periodic
elections. To ensure equal and effective participation of all citizens in elections, the
entire electoral cycle should be accessible to all, including voter education, voter
registration, voting and counting processes, to name a few.
This research study “Participation of Marginalized Communities in Nepal’s 2017
House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly Elections: Status and Barriers”
aims to unfold the existing challenges and barriers faced by people from marginalized
communities while participating in the electoral cycle.
The Nepal Voters’ Rights Forum (NVRF) is hopeful that this report will be a useful
reference for those who are working towards mainstreaming people from marginalized
communities in the electoral processes, and creating an enabling environment to
ensure they fully participate in future elections in Nepal. In addition, the report also
aids understanding with regard to various dimensions and challenges to the holding of
effective and participatory elections in Nepal.
I would like to thank the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) for their support in
implementing this study. I would also like to thank Dr. Subas Risal, lead researcher,
and all the enumerators for their tireless work in gathering relevant information, and
bringing the report to its current shape. I also would like to thank all central and district
level board members and staff of NVRF for their continuous support towards our
mandate of advocating for the rights of voters, regardless of their ethnicity, religion,
gender, or other forms of discrimination.
Bhakta Bishwakarma
National President
Nepal Voters’ Rights Forum (NVRF)
Kathmandu, Nepal