- Friday, 20 February 2026
Kathmandu, Feb 19: The Election Commission has introduced the ‘Temporary Voter List Procedure 2082’ to regularize the process of collecting temporary voter lists and permanent voting required for the elections to be held under the proportional electoral system under the House of Representatives.
The Commission has issued the procedure by exercising the authority granted by Section 44 of the Voter List Act, 2073. As per the procedure, the Commission will publish a notice including the program for collecting permanent voter list.
The names of employees working in the Government of Nepal, provincial governments, local levels, organizations owned or controlled by the government, army, police, detainees and prisoners in prisons, employees and security personnel deployed for election work, and heads and office bearers of constitutional bodies will be included in the permanent voter list.
According to the procedure issued by the Election Commission, if a person’s name is missing or there is any error in the name or details of a voter, the concerned person may submit an application to the Chief Registration Officer with evidence to have their name included or the error corrected, the Commission has stated.
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02- 65th anniversary of RSS today
Kathmandu, Feb 19: The country’s only official news agency, the , is celebrating its 65th anniversary today.
The RSS was established on 7 Falgun 2018 by merging two private sector news agencies, Nepal Sambad Samiti and Sagarmatha Sambad Samiti.
The RSS has been continuously producing and disseminating news, photo, audio in Nepali, English and mother tongue news services. Currently, the Nepali news service is operating round the clock.
On the occasion of the anniversary, a special function is being organized at the RSS central office in Bhadrakali today with Vice President Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav as the chief guest.
On this occasion, President Ramchandra Paudel, Vice President Yadav, Prime Minister Sushila Karki, National Assembly Chair Narayan Prasad Dahal and other dignitaries have extended their best wishes for the further progress of the state-owned and run news agency.
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03- HoR elections in a fair and fearless environment: Home Minister Aryal
Kathmandu, Feb 19: Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal, has expressed confidence that the election of the House of Representatives (HoR) members set for March 5, will be held in a clean, fair and fearless environment.
As part of the election preparations, he made an on-site inspection of various polling stations and the office of the election officer in Sundarijal area of Gokarneshwor Municipality, Constituency No-3, Kathmandu, today.
During the inspection, Home Minister Aryal also Spokesperson of the Government, directed the concerned officials to conduct the election peacefully by being aware of the false information and propaganda that can come on social media.
The team, including the Home Secretary, the Chief District Officer of Kathmandu and the heads of security bodies, visited the polling stations in Gokarneshwor and Okhreni Secondary School and the Dhapdam area.
On the occasion, the election officials informed that preparations including human resources, voter education and transportation of election materials are going on in full swing.
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04- Light rain and snow possible in Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim today
Kathmandu, Feb 19: The weather today will remain generally cloudy in the hilly and mountainous region and partly cloudy in the remaining places of the country.
In addition, there is a possibility of light rain and snow at a few places in the hilly and mountainous region of Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces, and at one or two places in the remaining hilly and mountainous region. Likewise, Fog and mist will occur at a few places over the Terai region during the morning, according to the 8:00 am bulletin by the Weather Forecasting Division.
Tonight, generally cloudy conditions will prevail over the mountainous region of the country. Partly cloudy conditions will prevail over the Tarai region of Koshi and Bagmati Provinces and hilly region of Madhesh Province as well as the remaining hilly region, while the Tarai region of other provinces will remain mainly fair. There is a chance of light rain and snow at one or two isolated places over the high hilly and mountainous region of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces. Fog will occur at a few places over the Tarai region.
Meanwhile, meteorological analysis by the Division states that at present there is influence of the westerly low pressure system in Nepal.
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05- Nepal-Portugal Bilateral Consultative Mechanism Meeting on Friday
Lisbon, Feb 19: The first meeting of the Nepal–Portugal Bilateral Consultation Mechanism is being held here on Friday.
The meeting will review the overall status of Nepal-Portugal relations, including issues of common interest, as well as cooperation in regional and multilateral forums.
Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amrit Bahadur Rai, has arrived here to co-chair the meeting, leading the Nepali delegation.
While in Lisbon, the Foreign Secretary will also meet with other senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal, officially inaugurate the newly opened Nepali Embassy, and hold an interaction with representatives of the Nepali community in Portugal, according to the Embassy of Nepal in Lisbon. It is estimated that over 40,000 Nepali nationals are currently residing in Portugal and are employed in various professions.
The Nepali delegation will include senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as Nepali Ambassador to Portugal Prakash Mani Poudel and other officials of the embassy.
The Foreign Secretary will return to Kathmandu on 22 February.
The Bilateral Consultation Mechanism between Nepal and Portugal was established in 2018.
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06- President, Vice-President’s greetings on Democracy Day
Kathmandu, Feb 19: President Ramchandra Paudel has expressed his wish that Democracy Day may help achieve national goals of sustainable peace, good governance, development and prosperity in the country.
In a message of best wishes on the occasion of National Democracy Day, 2082, President Paudel has said that the 2007 BS revolution should not be forgotten, as it was an important foundation for the establishment of the federal democratic republic and the creation of the current constitution made by the people themselves. “Democracy Day perpetuates the importance of civil rights and also always reminds us of the immortal story of the martyrs,” he has said in the message.
Expressing his wish that Democracy Day may help achieve national goals of sustainable peace, good governance, development and prosperity, he has also paid my heartfelt tributes to all the known and unknown martyrs who sacrificed their precious lives in the many struggles for the establishment of democracy, and expressed respect and admiration for the leaders who led the many movements for the establishment of democracy in the country.
President Paudel has, in the message, also appealed to everyone to contribute to the success of the House of Representatives elections to be held on March 5 to pave the way for the constitution, democracy, and the people’s desired path of good governance and rapid development.
Democracy Day is celebrated every year on Falgun 7 in the Lunar Calendar to commemorate and honour the historic achievement of achieving human rights and civil liberties as a result of the successful 2007 BS revolution and the sacrificial struggle against autocracy.
In a similar message, Vice President Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav has said that today inspires us to move forward unitedly towards ending poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and discrimination while maintaining the federalism, inclusiveness, proportional representation and rule of law enshrined in the Constitution.
The Vice President has emphasized that on Democracy Day, everyone concerned should fulfill their responsibilities honestly to protect civil rights, ensure equal opportunities, build an egalitarian society based on social justice and strengthen the federal democratic republic.
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07- Prime Minister calls for unity for nation building
Kathmandu, Feb 19: Prime Minister Sushila Karki has extended greetings to all Nepali sisters and brothers on the occasion of the 76th National Democracy Day.
Expressing her best wishes through social media, Prime Minister Karki recalled that the first parliamentary election in 2015 BS began on this day, after the 2007 BS revolution transformed people from commoners into citizens, and also referred to today as Election Day.
“We failed at the leadership level to make democracy a way of life. We had to wage protest repeatedly. Now we must end that. Let us resolve against corruption, nepotism and discrimination, and address it through institutional reforms.”
Referring to today as Election Day, the Prime Minister has urged unity for democratic stability and building a prosperous Nepal through free and fair elections.
Prime Minister Karki has also paid heartfelt tributes to all the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the cause of democracy and good governance in the country.
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08- Two killed, two injured in road accident
Barhathawa (Sarlahi), Feb 19: Two youths have died and two others injured in a road accident that took place in Khila in Ishworpur Municipality of the district.
The accident took place when three motorcycles with Indian registration number plates collided at Khila on the Banke-Sangrampur road section of Ishworpur Municipality-13 at 9:00 pm on Wednesday. Two people died and two was injured in the accident, shared Deputy Superintendent of Police Saroj Rai, spokesperson of the District Police Office, Sarlahi.
The deceased have been identified as Mukesh Raya of around 35 years of age from Mirchaiya, Haripurwa Municipality-9, Sarlahi, and Ram Gyan Raya, aged 30-32, of the same locality. They were rescued from the accident site with serious injuries and taken to the Model Hospital in Lalbandi for further treatment after first-aid and then to the Provincial Hospital in Malangwa for further treatment.
Similarly, Bikram Raya, 22, and Ram Biswas Raya, 42, of Haripurwa Municipality-9, were injured in the accident. They received medical treatment for their injuries at the Model Hospital in Lalbandi.
Meanwhile, Police have impounded the motorcycles with Indian registration numbers BR 30 AR 3458, BR 30 AP 3809, and HP 55 C 0623 involved in the incident and have started an investigation.
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