Nepal to complete ‘historic’ elections in timely manner: Nepalese minister

Terming it “historic in itself”, Nepal’s Minister for Forests and Environment Madhav Prasad Chaulagain on Thursday expressed confidence that the country would complete its ongoing electoral process smoothly and in a timely manner.
Speaking at the World Sustainable Development Summit 2026 held here, Chaulagain said political parties and public are fully engaged as Nepal moves ahead on the election route.
“The government that I am representing is a civil government. Our main mandate is to conduct timely elections and hand over successfully so that we follow the democratic process,” he told PTI.
The minister noted that the country had faced a serious situation a few months ago but efforts were made to stabilise the situation and keep the democratic process on track.
“Despite having this very serious situation a few months ago, we have tried to bring this into a good form,” he said.
He also acknowledged the support extended by friendly countries, including India, in ensuring a smooth democratic transition.
“During this process, we received good progressive support from countries like India to support us and ensure the democratic transition,” he added, expressing hope that the process would conclude successfully.
Eligible voters numbering 18.9 million will exercise their franchise to elect 275 members of the House of Representatives (HoR), polling for which will be held from 7 am to 5 pm on March 5.
Discussing the concept of multilateral cooperation, Chaulagain said this is a key focus he looks forward to at this summit.
He emphasised that multilateral cooperation is essential to address environmental and climate challenges, particularly in mountain and ocean ecosystems.
“We are all facing the same issues from upstream to downstream, which is why cooperation is required,” he said.
“Despite unprecedented rates of environmental change, we are trying to develop resilient practices at the national and local levels, including community-based adaptation strategies and policy readiness,” Chaulagain said, noting that Nepal has set numerous indicators and targets under its climate action plans, though resources remain a challenge.
Highlighting growing attention to mountain ecosystems, he said collaboration on biodiversity conservation is vital.
“The Himalayan agenda is gradually gaining priority, which is positive for shared action on mountain ecosystems and biodiversity protection,” he said.
Chaulagain cited a recent agreement with India as a “historic” step to share technology, capacity-building strategies and intelligence in biodiversity and wildlife conservation.
“This will also facilitate research collaboration and frequent joint meetings,” he added.
On Wednesday, India and Nepal signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote bilateral cooperation in the areas of forests, wildlife, environment, biodiversity conservation and climate change, including restoration of wildlife corridors and interlinking areas, and exchange of knowledge, technical expertise and best practices.
The signing ceremony took place in New Delhi in the presence of Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, and Madhav Prasad Chaulagain, Cabinet Minister for Forests and Environment, Government of Nepal.