Out of curiosity I went to the Election Commission in Nepal for the first time to ask about what it takes for a normal citizen to stand for elections:

Here are some tips I got from Under-Secretary Lok Darshan Pandit of the Election Commission of Nepal.

Q. Who can stand?
Any Nepali who is 25 years or older (at the time of filing nomination) can stand up for new elections in Nepal.

Q, Where can I stand for elections ?
If you want to stand as an independent Candidate, you can stand for elections from any where in Nepal. If you want to stand from a party, ask your party boss for permission. Here are the complete rules.

Q. I want to open a political party. What next ?
If you want to open a political party, you have to be a nepali citizen and will have to registered with the Election Commission when it calls for new registration of parties (which it does some time before any Election. So stay tuned). You also need 10,000 names with signatures. (Election Commission will verify if the signatures are right nor not). More information on rules for registering a political party here.

Q. I haven’t registered as a voter yet. What do I do ?
If you haven’t registered as a voter (you need to be 18 years and older) then ask your local district Election office ( If in Kathmandu, you can go to Babar-Mahal District Election office and get registered there). Just remember to take your citizenship card with you.
If your citizenship is from a different place than where you want to register, you will have to get another identification showing you have moved to this place and are staying there – e.g electricity bill, water bill on your name,  or property proof of your parents or yourself.

Q. Will elections happen on time on Mangshir 7 (November)?
(Based on private conversation with election commission under-secretary, Not Election commission’s official view). Elections will happen on time only if the Election Commission gets the amendment it has asked for from the Office of President and Prime-minister soon.
If the commission doesn’t get this amendment soon, the elections will have to be delayed by at least 3 months (estimated) since they won’t be able to hold elections during winter months in the mountainous regions of Nepal because of the weather.

• Also stay tuned on Nepal Election Commission’s website for updates.

Do you have more questions? ask them in comments ! I will find out more.