Nepalese Election Commission builds biometric voter database ahead of election

The Election Commission in Nepal has been working on a biometric voters’ registry database and has accumulated 10.9 million eligible voters thus far, Republica reports.

So far, registration takes place at the Commission and consists of a fingerprint and a photograph for identity verification. The Commission has been making internal preparations for the next constituent assembly election in the country, including developing a 120-day integrated action plan to ensure all human resource, materials and budget have been accounted for.

Election Commissioner, Dr, Ayodhi Prasad Yadav has suggested that voter registration will continue in the country and that Nepali citizens all over the world will also be able to participate in this election and exercise their right to vote, though it’s unclear whether these remote voters will be biometrically registered as a part of the same exercise.

According to The Hindu, the Nepali government has announced that the new Constituent Assembly elections will take place between mid-April and mid-May of this year. A specific date will be established following a consultation of all parties.

As reported previously in BiometricUpdate.com, Ghana recently completed a national election using biometric voting devices and has joined a growing list of countries which have done so successfully. Likewise, Kenya has now completed a biometric voter registration exercise of its own.

Article Topics

biometric database  |  biometrics  |  elections  |  fingerprint  |  identity verification  |  photograph  |  voter registration