With inclusion of the additional 200,000 youth, the total number of voters on May 12 will be 17.9 million reports the Rising Nepal.

According to the daily, the Election Commission of Nepal (ECN) has decided to make the day before the upcoming local elections as the cut-off date for the young voters to complete their 18 years of age in order to make them eligible for voting the next day.

The decision shows Nepali citizen completing 18 years of age on May 12 can vote in the local level elections slated for the next day, May 13, 2022.

A Nepali citizen can obtain citizenship certificate after completing 16-year age but voting right could be exercised only after completing 18 years.

According to the ECN, this provision is being implemented for the first time in Nepal’s election history.

There were 15.42 million voters in the elections in 2017 while on 20 December 2020, the number of voters had reached 16.24 million.

“The ECN wants to ensure the voting right of every Nepali completing 18-year age. The voters’ registration process is stopped as per the legal provision of not continuing it after the announcement of the date for the polls,” Spokesperson of the ECN, Shaligram Sharma Poudel said.