Nepal's federalism: Time for a review

The first elected local governments under the federal constitution promulgated in 2015 are near completion of their five-year tenure.

Despite several oddities and questions on its performance, Nepal's federal polity has achieved at least one crucial milestone: The first elected local governments under the federal constitution promulgated in 2015 are near completion of their five-year tenure. According to the Local Level Elections Act 2015 , the tenure of the current elected office-bearers at the local level expires on May 20, 2022. Under Section 3 of the same act, elections to the local governments must be held two months before the expiry of the term. During a recent consultation with the government, the Election Commission has proposed the first or second week of May 2022 for these elections, and has reportedly begun its preparations . The first local elections under the federal system were held on May 14, 2017.