Election Do’s & Don’ts
Nepali Times ईspecial 23 - 29 January 2026 #1295
This is an extraordinary situation: four ministers from PM Sushila Karki’s Intermittent Govt have resigned to contest the very elections they were supposed to oversee. This means we have to be extra vigilant about ensuring Free, Fair and Lovely polls – just firing off letters to those adhering to the Code of Misconduct is not enough.
With that in mind, I have drawn up a list of do’s and don’ts that the Election Commission is totally within its mandate to ignore.
Don’t: Character assassination on social media is banned with immediate effect. Candidates are advised to also desist, as far as humanely possible, from actual assassination of rivals.
Do: Under Nepal’s democratic system, octogenarians, arsonists, former ministers in the interim govt, cooperative fraudsters, murderers, pillagers and ex-rapists are encouraged to campaign freely and openly in broad daylight.
Don’t: Candidates who have not ass-licked higher-up authoritarians, sucked up to foreign powers, or amassed ill-gotten wealth should provide proof they have done so before registering their candidacy.
Do: Those who have embezzled billions in airport contracts, telecom licenses or inaugurated highways that never got built may hit the campaign trail along those very same non-existent highways.
Don’t: Supporters of established parties must first determine if their candidate is physically fit and not allergic to pollen before draping a 25kg marigold garland around his neck.
Do: Candidates are allowed to embellish, exaggerate, falsify, fake, tamper, or lie about their achievements during their last 30 years in office provided they also promise to turn Nepal into Singapore if elected.
Don’t: Candidates found ringing temple bells will be given a stern warning by the High Priest about noise pollution. Performing a Peacock Dance is prohibited under Election Code of Conduct Article (13) Clause (4) and Sub-clause (d) unless the candidate has auditioned first.
Remember, the next election was supposed to be in 2027. But the GenZ protests forced us to have federal polls one year early. And with only six weeks to go till 5 March, Sudiksha Tuladhar crunches some numbers to find that all parties (new, old and adolescent) have failed to meet the 33% slots set aside for women candidates. Find out the reasons why in her piece Ladies First-Past-the-Post (page 1).
Turn to page 4 to learn about how this election is going to be a plebiscite on new vs old, especially with the most closely-watched contest in Jhapa-5 between Ex-Prime Minister Oli and Ex-Mayor Balen Shah (Nepal’s Election Will Be a Referendum).
Still on elections, Nepali Times collaborated with Dunia and the Korean Investigative Journalism Centre (KCIJ Newstapa) to analyse leaked correspondence about the involvement of Korea’s Unification Church in influencing politics, administration and public discourse all over the world, including in Nepal. Seulki Lee reports from Seoul (Moonie Money in Nepal’s Politics, page 10-11).
Continuing Nepali Times’ extensive field reports on the impact of climate breakdown, Durga Rana Magar takes an arduous winter trek to Thulagi Glacial Lake below Mt Manaslu in Central Nepal. Sleeping in caves along the way, she reaches the lake to find that it has expanded rapidly in recent years, threatening the Marsyangdi Valley downstream (Hotter Himalaya Melts Glaciers, page 6-7 and video on our YouTube Channel)
And while you are there, you might also want to watch what Nepal’s young first-time voters are thinking here.
For some things completely different, read:
Lisa Choegyal’s review of Frances Klatzel’s book on the celebrity photographer turned Buddhist nun, Marilyn Silverstone (“Just Walk On”, page 5)
Profile of twice-Everest summiteer Kalpana Maharjan who has started a sports climbing school, and become an activist against child marriage (Driving Young Nepalis Up the Wall, page 12)
Two reviews on page 9 of thought-provoking contemporary art in post-GenZ Nepal: Mukesh Shrestha’s ongoing exhibition of Bhairav Bhav (The Power of Peace) and Saurab Koirala’s Turning Trash into Sculptures.
Good luck to all candidates with their campaigning, try not to break any rules.
Kunda Dixit