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Nepal
Women in decision-making positions
41%
Members of local deliberative bodies are women (14,465 elected women)
No woman is Head of State or Government
33%
Parliamentarians are women
16%
Ministers are women

Government organization

Nepal is a federal republic with three spheres of government: federal, intermediate (provincial), and local.

One tier of central government, one tier of intermediate government and one tier of local government.
Central government
  • Head of State: The President is elected by an electoral college consisting of voting members of the Federal Parliament and the members of the provincial assemblies.
  • Head of Government: The Prime Minister is the leader of the political party with a majority in the House of Representatives, as appointed by the President and receiving the vote of confidence of the House of Representatives.
  • Legislative body: The Federal Parliament is a bicameral legislature, with an upper house (the National Assembly), and a lower house (the House of Representatives). The National Assembly is composed of members elected from an electoral college and members nominated by the President, on the recommendation of Government of Nepal. The House of Representatives is composed of members directly elected by voters.
  • Executive body: The Council of Ministers consists of members of the Federal Parliament chosen by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.
Provincial government
  • Legislative body: The provincial assembly is a unicameral legislature whose members are directly elected by voters.
  • Executive body: The council of ministers of the province is composed of the chief minister and ministers nominated by the provincial head, on the recommendation of the chief minister. The chief minister is the leader of the parliamentary party with a majority in the provincial assembly, as confirmed by the provincial head.
Local government
  • Organization: Local government is organized into one tier of six metropolitan municipalities, 11 sub-metropolitan municipalities, 276 municipalities, and 460 rural municipalities.
  • Competencies: Local government is responsible for making its own budget, levying local taxes, making laws, managing local services, and making local development plans.
  • Ministerial oversight: The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration is responsible for federal government oversight of local government.

Overview of local government

Local government composition
Metropolitan municipalities, sub-metropolitan municipalities, and municipalities (महानगरपालिका/ उपमहानगरपालिका/ नगरपालिका)

Deliberative body: The municipal assembly is composed of 50-165 members, including the mayor, the deputy mayor, three Dalit members, and the municipal ward committee members. The mayor presides over the municipal assembly; the mayor is also vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The municipal executive body is composed of 19-42 members, including the mayor, the deputy mayor, all ward chairpersons of the respective municipality, five women members, and the three Dalit members of the deliberative body.

Rural municipalities (गाउँपालिका)

Deliberative body: The village assembly is composed of 49 members, including the village executive head, the deputy head, two Dalit members, and members of the village ward committees. The village executive head presides over the village assembly; the village executive head is also vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The village executive body is composed of 17 members, including the village executive head, the deputy head, the village ward committee chairpersons, four women members, and the two Dalit members of the deliberative body.

Local government elections
Electoral system

Electoral system for deliberative bodies: majority/plurality (first-past-the-post)

  • Voters cast their vote for a candidate of their choice, and the candidate who receives the most votes wins.
  • Voters receive a ballot sheet with six columns: column one is to select a mayor/rural municipal executive head, column two is to select a deputy, column three is to select a ward chairperson, column four is to select a woman ward member, column five is to select a Dalit woman ward member, and column six is to select two additional ward members.

Sources: Constitution of Nepal, 2015 (amended through 2020), articles 222 and 223; Local Level Election Act, 2017, article 6

Quotas

Gender quotas:  Reserved seats, legislated candidate quotas (for mayors and deputy mayors)

  • In the local deliberative body, two of the four members elected from each ward must be women, one of which must be a Dalit woman.
  • In the local executive body, five seats (in an urban municipal executive body) or four seats (in a rural municipal executive body) are reserved for women members elected by and from the deliberative body.
  • Parties that submit candidates for both mayor and deputy mayor (or rural municipal executive head and deputy head) must ensure that one of the two candidates is a woman.

Additional quotas: Dalits

  • In the local deliberative body, three seats (in urban municipalities) or two seats (in rural municipalities) are reserved for Dalits. One of the four members elected from each ward is for a Dalit woman.
  • In the local executive body, three seats (in urban municipalities) or two seats (in rural municipalities) are reserved for Dalits.

Sources: Constitution of Nepal, 2015 (amended through 2020), articles 222 and 223; Local Government Act, 1999, articles 8, 75 and 80

Term of elections
  • Term length: 5 years
  • Last local elections: 2022
  • Next local elections: 2027
Electoral management body

Election Commission of Nepal

National legal framework on local government
National legal framework
  • Constitution of Nepal, 2015 (amended through 2020);
  • Local Level Election Act, 2017;
  • Local Governance Bill, 2017;
  • Local Self-Governance Act, 1999.
Constitutional provisions on local government

There are constitutional provisions that establish local government in Nepal. According to Article 56 of the Constitution of Nepal of 2015 (amended through 2020), “the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal shall have three main levels of structure: federal, provincial and local. Under the local level, there shall be Village Council, Municipal Council and District Assembly. The Federation, provinces and local levels shall protect Nepal’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, autonomy, national interests, overall development, multi-party competitive democratic republic and federal system of governance, human rights and fundamental rights, rule of law, separation of powers and check and balance, equitable society based on plurality and equality, and inclusive representation and identity.”

Legislative provisions on local government

The Federal Parliament and the provincial assemblies are responsible for establishing the legal framework on local government. The key piece of legislation which regulates local government is the Local Self-Governance Act of 1999.

Sources:

1. UN Women: Data on share of women in local government as of 1 January 2023.

2. UN Women: Information on Head of State and Government as of 3 October 2023.

3. Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU): Data on share of women in the single/lower chamber of parliament as of 1 January 2023.

4. IPU and UN Women: Data on share of women in ministerial positions as of 1 January 2023.

5. Information on local government organization as of 1 January 2023.