The government has revised the law to give the Election Commission (EC) the authority to update and publish the voter list at any time of the year, paving the way for releasing a draft voter list ahead of the upcoming 13th parliamentary election, expected to be held in February 2026.
The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs introduced the Voter List (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, which received final approval from the Advisory Council on July 17. This amendment eliminates previous restrictions that limited the EC to only publish the draft voter list on January 2 and the final list on March 2 each year.
Under the previous law, the EC faced a legal obstacle because it planned to hold elections in February but could not publish an updated voter list before March. The amended ordinance now empowers the EC to revise and publish the voter list at any time before the election schedule is announced.
A key change is made to Section 3, Clause (j) of the Voter List Act, 2009, where the phrase “or any other date as declared by the Commission” has been added after “1st day of January.” This grants the EC the authority to set the qualification date for voter registration as needed.
Additionally, Section 11 of the Act has been amended with a new Subsection (1), stating that the computerised voter list must be updated annually between January 2 and March 2, or during any other period declared by the EC under Clause (j), prior to announcing the election schedule.
The update process will include enrolling citizens who turn 18 but are not yet registered, removing ineligible or deceased voters, and transferring voters to new lists based on their current addresses. This move aims to ensure a more accurate and current voter database in preparation for the upcoming elections.
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