<figure><img width="1500" height="1125" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce7b69c7e80680e0967dajpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption></figure>The Nepal Himalaya has seen a spurt in expeditions this spring, largely because of the backlog of the past years, and possibly because of the global publicity generated by the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nirmal-purja-on-his-viral-everest-photo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘traffic jam’ photographs of 2019</a>.  Climbing on Everest, for instance, was affected in 2014 and 2015 due to the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2014/04/26/the-winter-of-our-spring/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Icefall avalanche</a> and <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2015/04/25/massive-earthquake-rattles-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">earthquakes</a>,  2016 was slow because of the lingering impact of <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2015/09/25/unofficial-blockade/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the blockade</a>. And 2020 was a wipeout because of the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/everest-trek-closed-open-closed-open-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pandemic</a>.There are a record-breaking <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/mt-everest-city/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">42 expeditions with nearly 400 foreign climbers on Everest</a> this spring. But while Everest gets all the attention, there have also been 44 climbers on four expeditions on the north face of Annapurna I, and many of them are doing it in tandem with Dhaulagiri which has five expeditions with 35 members.Many of them started early in the season on <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/annapurna-base-camp,3697" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Annapurna</a> and have now moved on to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-clouds-are-lifting-below-dhaulagiri/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dhaulagiri</a> to climb it before the monsoon arrives. There has also been the same siege-style commercial climbing of the two eight-thousanders that is more reminiscent of Everest, with guides moving up first to fix ropes and taking clients up the mountain. <img width="933" height="683" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce7b99c7e80680e0967dbjpeg.jpg" alt="">In fact, there were so many relatively inexperienced climbers this year on Annapurna that even easier sections had to be fixed, which meant that the lead team ran out of rope high on the mountain. The expedition then radioed for a helicopter that dropped rope, oxygen, food and other supplies at nearly 7,000m on the north face of Annapurna. A helicopter also lifted a Taiwanese climber suffering frost-bite from Camp III to Base Camp.This use of helicopters has led to more criticism about the over-commercialisation of Himalayan mountaineering, and some climbing bloggers have contrasted it with the pure pioneering adventure of the French expedition of 1950 on Annapurna. But it was also this that allowed 68 people to summit the 8,091m peak by 16 April without a single fatality—all the more remarkable because Annapurna has the highest ratio (32%) of deaths on any mountain in the Himalaya. Of the 68 who got to the top this season, 14 were women, and among them six were Nepali.It helps that Dhaulagiri is just across the Kali Gandaki Valley and so close to Annapurna that climbers just moved across for the second climb. Most Annapurna summiteers are also on Dhaulagiri, where fresh snow had delayed climbing till early this week.While most, including 82-year-old Carlos Soria and the six Nepali women, are on the easier north ridge route, there are some veterans attempting the never-climbed northwest spur of Dhaulagiri which at 8,167m is the world’s seventh-highest mountain. Many of the climbers on the northwest ridge have tried to get to the top on this route several times in the past.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-other-abc-trek/">The Other ABC Trek</a>, Bimal Kadel

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Annapurna Dhaulagiri double-take

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181120/636be1919c7e80680e083e57jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1530" height="972"/><figcaption>Despite the pandemic, mountaineers have flocked to Mt Ama Dablam, 6,812m in the Nepal Himalaya this autumn. Photo: Maik Psotta / Wikimedia</figcaption></figure>It has been described as the most beautiful mountain in the world, its silhouette is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invesco#/media/File:Invesco.svg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invesco%23/media/File:Invesco.svg&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1605765084378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGDtnGyanYz3MKCBR7n9_EjKi3fxQ">the logo</a> of a global insurance company, and the 6,812m peak was once described by Edmund Hillary as being “unclimbable”.Trekkers and mountaineers on their walk up to Mt Everest Base Camp have for decades marvelled at the chiselled sculpture that dominates the trail. Many have vowed to <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=18972#.X7Symi8RoWo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D18972%23.X7Symi8RoWo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1605765084378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH_T9pvxloFyTaAm6lvNMkEclTRmw">return to climb it </a>one day.One of them was <a href="https://www.instagram.com/moealthani/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.instagram.com/moealthani/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1605765084378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEDAnbwlOGicbgDDBEoIix17n7ZEw">Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Thani </a>of the Qatar royal family who was among dozens who climbed the mountain last week during the peak of the pandemic in Nepal.Sheikh ‘Moe’ Al Thani said in an interview that he had been obsessed with climbing Ama Dablam ever since he was trekking in the area ten years ago, and after climbing Mt Everest in 2013.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181120/636be1949c7e80680e083e58jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1296" height="1244"><figcaption>Qatari Prince ‘Moe’ Al Thani on the summit of Ama Dablam on 11 November. Photo: @moealthani</figcaption></figure>The very next day, on 12 November, not only did eight more climbers make it to the top, but four of them were Nepali siblings who run Seven Summit Treks that handled the expedition.Mingma Sherpa, Dawa Sherpa, Tashi Lakpa Sherpa and Pasang Sherpa are experienced climbers, and Mingma and Chhang Dawa have climbed all 14 eight-thousand metre peaks in the world.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181120/636be1979c7e80680e083e59jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1482" height="1104"><figcaption>Four Sherpa brothers who were among eight climbers who summitted Ama Dablam on 12 November. Photo: Seven Summit Treks</figcaption></figure>The Sheikh was part of a multinational team led by <a href="https://madisonmountaineering.com/tag/ama-dablam/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://madisonmountaineering.com/tag/ama-dablam/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1605765084378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEV7WxawknVxwVArzaNpRarL5luPA">Madison Mountaineering</a> that put all 13 climbing members on the summit including seven Nepali, four American, and a Canadian mountaineer.Besides the sheer grandeur of the peak is its technical challenge with a knife-like ridge and a perpendicular face leading to the top. Added to that are the dangers of avalanches and rockfalls that have killed dozens of climbers.Since climbing first began in the region in the 1950s, 32 people have been killed on Ama Dablam, mostly in falls and avalanches, and one Russian died three years ago while jumping off from near the top in a wingsuit.Lead guide of the Qatari Prince’s team, Garrett Madison, first tried to climb the mountain in 2003, but had to turn back due to technical difficulties on the southwest ridge, but returned to summit twice in 2012 and 2014.Madison wrote in a <a href="https://madisonmountaineering.com/tag/ama-dablam/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://madisonmountaineering.com/tag/ama-dablam/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1605765084378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEV7WxawknVxwVArzaNpRarL5luPA">blog post</a> last week: “We had a beautiful clear, perfect day up on the summit … it has been a wonderful, successful and safe expedition here in Nepal, we are very happy we got to come and experience the wonderful people with warm hearts.”<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181120/636be19a9c7e80680e083e5ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1058" height="1330"><figcaption>Climbers make their way up from Camp III below the hanging serac near the summit of Ama Dablam on 11 November. Photo: Madison Mountaineering</figcaption></figure>What is surprising this year is that these climbs of Ama Dablam have happened during the middle of a pandemic, and Nepal has been closed for trekking and mountaineering since March until foreign teams were finally allowed back in mid-September.Even before that, a Bahraini military team got special permission to climb Mt Manaslu, and an all-Nepali expedition climbed Baruntse. And during the pandemic in spring, the Chinese climbed Mt Everest and Cho Oyu from the north. Besides the expeditions in Ama Dablam this autumn, the only others were a Nepali team on Gyalzen Peak and two trekking teams on Himlung.“Ama Dablam is a very attractive and challenging mountain, everyone who has been on the Everest trail dreams one day of climbing it,” says the president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association Ang Tshering Sherpa, adding that while most expeditions go for Nepal’s 8,000m peaks in spring, they prefer to climb Ama Dablam in the autumn.In fact, last November <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/kuwait-flag-on-ama-dablam-to-be-investigated/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/kuwait-flag-on-ama-dablam-to-be-investigated/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1605765084378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGF4-6roQZQaGiaUm6WDCQA-RcXyQ">a Kuwaiti expedition</a> got into trouble with the authorities for unfurling a giant flag of the country from the summit and draping over the west face of the mountain. It was visible to the naked eye from Khumjung, which is 3,000m below and 12km away. The Kuwaitis said they were just trying to break a record, and did not know a permission was required.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181120/636be19d9c7e80680e083e5bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1710" height="1028"><figcaption>Last November, a Kuwait expedition got into trouble for unfurling a huge flag of the country from the summit of Ama Dablam that was visible from Khumjung. Photo: Manjushree Thapa</figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.alanarnette.com/climbs/amadablam.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.alanarnette.com/climbs/amadablam.php&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1605765084378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHUYbOs0jME88L0xoyy2VUGSuhJaw">Alan Arnette</a>, a mountaineer and blogger climbed Ama Dablam in 2000, and describes the allure: “Ama Dablam is a fantastic climb by any definition. In many ways it is more satisfying than the 8000m climbs with the rock, ice and snow sections. But it is a very dangerous climb today with the instability of the Dablam.”Ama Dablam means ‘Mother’s Pendant’ in Sherpa because its summit makes the mountain look like a mother hugging her young, and the ‘dablam’ is the massive hanging serac near the summit which looks like a holy locket.Mountaineers try to avoid climbing and camping below this serac, but despite that some have been killed by chunks breaking off. In 2006, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=12870#.X7Sx-C8RoWo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D12870%23.X7Sx-C8RoWo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1605765084378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEOjeZxus4fD2qJ-tgnP9B_VwWz2w">a piece of the hanging ice fell and killed six climbers</a> in Camp III at the point where the southwest ridge meets the top of the face. Three more were killed below the serac in 2014. Nepali climber <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2016/11/29/thundu-sherpa-46/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2016/11/29/thundu-sherpa-46/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1605765084378000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE98ajT4jiixxVjftRKnpYj6a4DgQ">Thundu Sherpa was killed</a> when an earthquake in 2016 triggered an avalanche on the face.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181120/636be1a09c7e80680e083e5cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1544" height="1154"><figcaption>Ang Phurba Sherpa on the spacious summit of Ama Dablam on 11 November, with Mt Everest in the background. Photo: @aang_phurba_mountaineer</figcaption></figure>This year, despite the pandemic and the dangers of climbing via the traditional southwest ridge route, mountaineers could not resist the temptation of climbing Ama Dablam. What helped was the relative ease of organising an expedition at short notice compared to the complicated logistics on big 8,000m peaks in Nepal.Those who made it were rewarded with mountains devoid of other climbers, and a spell of good weather that has lasted more than two months now.Nepal’s Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Bhattarai himself helicoptered to Ama Dablam Base Camp on Monday just as another 12-member expedition arrived to climb Ama Dablam. That team is led by Himalayan Guides and British climber Kenton Cool who has sumitted Mt Everest 14 times.“We were glad to run into Kenton Cool and other mountaineers at Ama Dablam Base Camp, and also happy that Nepal’s climbing sector that has been badly hit by the pandemic, is getting back to normal,” Bhattarai said.Despite the minister’s remark, it is clear that Nepal’s trekking and mountaineering has suffered from the Covid-19 crisis. The country usually makes $20 million in royalty and other fees from climbing, and this year the count is only $3.3 million.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181120/636be1a39c7e80680e083e5djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1374" height="1030"><figcaption>Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai at Ama Dablam base camp on Monday to greet another expedition climbing the mountain. Photo: Yogesh Bhattarai Facebook</figcaption></figure>Besides this, many Nepali guides, porters, trekking companies, hotels, airlines and helicopter companies have lost business. Last autumn there were 210 climbing expeditions in the Nepal Himalaya, but this season there are only seven.Minister Bhattarai also hosted the Qatari team in Kathmandu last week after their climb, during which Prince Al Thani said: “I have always been enchanted by Ama Dablam, and I have been struck by the scenic beauty of Nepal and the hospitality of its people. I promise to return very often."

What is it about Ama Dablam?

<figure><img width="1280" height="960" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb3bd9c7e80680e07bb5djpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>The summit of Baruntse (7,129m) in eastern Nepal. </figcaption></figure>In what climbers say is an attempt to send a positive message to the world that Nepal’s mountains are a safe destination, a seven member all-Nepali expedition is all set to become the first to climb a Himalayan peak this season.Even while 48 of Nepal’s 77 districts are under strict lockdown, and with the novel coronavirus surging in Kathmandu Valley and the country, the Nepal Tourism Recovery Expedition 2020 is attempting to climb Mt Baruntse (7,129m) this autumn season.Said expedition leader Dawa Steven Sherpa: “We felt that we Sherpas had to do something to send a positive message about Nepal to the world. The mountains are here, we are here. So why not climb, since that is what we do.”Although not an eight-thousander, Baruntse is regarded as a difficult mountain because of its steep and icy south face. It was first climbed in 1954 by two New Zealanders of an expedition led by Edmund Hillary, a year after he climbed Mt Everest with Tenzing Norgay.The expedition will be flying to Khumjung and accclimatising on Mera Peak before trekking up the Hongu River to base camp.  All trekking and mountaineering in Nepal has been closed since 24 March, and even expeditions that were already starting to climb Mt Everest and other Himalayan peaks in spring 2020 were ordered off the mountains.The Ministry of Tourism has also allowed a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-allows-royal-himalayan-expedition/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-allows-royal-himalayan-expedition/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599653898216000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHLKDOKdpBP5kp0yt_ewSM9fKWMFA">18-member Bahrain military expedition</a> from the country’s Royal Guard commanded by Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa to climb Mt Manaslu (8,163m), the world’s eighth highest mountain. The expedition includes three Britons and will arrive on a charter flight in Kathmandu on 15 September, but it has not been issued a climbing permit for Mt Manalsu or the acclimatisation peak, Mt Lobuje.Dawa Steven Sherpa is a climate activist, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/ted-atkins-killed-in-climb/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/ted-atkins-killed-in-climb/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599653898216000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFDJsLfeceRk1YBN0fj4HP9j19UFw">tourism entrepreneur</a> and a mountaineer, and has climbed <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16260#.X1d0L9IzaUk" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D16260%23.X1d0L9IzaUk&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599653898216000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHXxb6GKygniIz0BnO2ivZrOevbXQ">Mt Everest three times</a>, as well as Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Kangchenjunga and Cho Oyu. He also runs an annual Eco <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=18333" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D18333&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599653898216000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEYlV3XDHh74yv3nHrzHOTbe0aSQw">Everest cleanup expedition</a> after each spring climbing season since 2008, and has removed 21,500kg of trash from the world's highest mountain in that time. He trekked across Nepal for three months on a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/the-climate-smart-great-himalayan-trek/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/the-climate-smart-great-himalayan-trek/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599653898216000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH7ACV1shMZqoVibIre6EzkqaFPVw">Climate Smart Great Himalaya Trail expedition</a>.“This is not a commercial expedition and all of us are paying our own way, we hope to show that despite Covid-19 Nepal’s mountains are a safe and pristine destination, and we are waiting to welcome back visitors to our country,” says Sherpa. The only non-Sherpa in the expedition is photographer and conservationist Samir Jung Thapa who has also climbed Mt Everest and Manaslu with Dawa Steven, and accompanied him on the Great Himalaya Trail. <figure><img width="962" height="1280" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb3c09c7e80680e07bb5ejpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Dawa Steven Sherpa on the West Col of Baruntse last year during another expedition.</figcaption></figure>The Ministry of Tourism issued the climbing permit for the expedition on 4 September, the first such after the Covid-19 lockdown that has now lasted nearly six months. On Tuesday, Nepal recorded 902 new cases, taking the total testing positive to 48,138. There were six deaths in the last 24 hours, with 306 total fatalities. <figure><img width="1280" height="782" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb3c29c7e80680e07bb5fjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>The Nepal Tourism Recovery Expedition 2020 receiving its climbing permit at the Ministry of Tourism on 4 September.</figcaption></figure>Kathmandu Valley saw 396 cases on Tuesday, but for the past four days the number of those recovered has been higher than new infections in Nepal. Solu Khumbu district has seen 16 cases with all of those infected having recovered.    “We are still suffering from the pandemic, but we have to send the message that we have to come out of this crisis, this permit for Baruntse is the beginning of that process,” said Mira Acharya, the head of the Mountaineering Section of the Department of Tourism. The expedition has been waiting all packed up and ready to go in Kathmandu since Saturday, but there have been no flights to Lukla because of poor visibility. The climbers hope to reach the summit of Baruntse by 1 week of October. Said Dawa Steven Sherpa: “With PCR testing, quarantine and isolation trekking and mountaineering can be made safe, and this expedition is designed in such a way as to show the world that it is possible to have a safe holiday.”

Nepali expedition to climb Baruntse

Who is accountable for teacher-student relationships?

Of the nearly 19 million eligible voters in next week’s election in Nepal, an estimated 5 million are abroad and cannot cast their ballots. Many others within Nepal must travel to their home districts, and might decide not to because of the cost.
Flights into Kathmandu these days are full of global Nepalis returning just to vote, but almost as many are leaving for overseas jobs. Most of those coming or going are in the 20-40 age group, and a majority want Nepal to see a change in leadership.
Bangladesh held an election this month in which citizens overseas could vote by mail.&nbsp;
“Bangladesh made maximum use of technology not just for campaigning but also for polling itself. We could have also managed this, so people within Nepal did not have to travel to their home districts to vote,” says Mohna Ansari, former head of Nepal’s National Human Rights Commission who was an election observer in Bangladesh.
A 3-day holiday has been declared so people can travel to their home constituencies to cast ballots. Even if there was not enough time to manage ballots for overseas Nepalis, it could have been done for Nepalis within Nepal.
Former Chief Election Commissioner Bhojraj Pokharel reckons that physical voting in countries with a large Nepali diaspora would have been a logistical nightmare, but in the PR system, using electronic voting machines or paper ballot could have been piloted in some places. It is not possible to manage the entire voting process until we introduce the internet voting system.
“First of all, there needs to be political will to bring the policy and be ready to undertake that level of investment and it is not a one-time cost,” Pokharel says. “A government formed by the GenZ could have atr least issed an ordinance ensuring this right, piloted out-of-country voting where possible, which could have built pressure for the future Parliament and the government. It would have given people hope. It is a lost opportunity.”
All major political parties called for voting rights for global Nepalis in their manifestos, but these very leaders blocked legislation allowing it despite a 2017 Supreme Court ruling out of fear that it would be anti-incumbent.&nbsp;
<h2>Why so late?</h2>
Bangladesh delivered election results in just one day, but the final results of Nepal's last local polls in 2022 including that of Kathmandu constituencies took nearly a month.
Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said this week that the results of the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) ballot counting would “likely” be published within 24 hours of the poll closing at 5PM on 5 March. But many are skeptical.
“I wonder if we lack the capacity or know-how to announce results as quickly as possible,” says Mohna Ansari.
Former Chief Election Commissioner Pokharel says manual ballot paper counting in Nepal is inherently slow because of the large numner of political parties and/or candidates on the ballot, the counting mechanism, the political behaviour of the candidates/parties and some managerial issues during counting.
“Our present policy is to count all the ballot papers at the returning officers' officies, located at the district headquarters. It requires collecting ballot boxes safetly first. This takes time, and there have been cases of ballot boxes being damaged or stolen during transport. In a few highly difficult, geographically remote polling centres, we use a helicopter or transport. But sometimes, accommodating the party and candidates' representatives remains challenging,” explains Pokharel. A solution could be counting ballots at the very booths where they are cast.
Another reason for the delay is simply the number of political parties, and the need for each ballot paper to be examined by booth representatives for consensus. In close races, the smallest difference can lead to tense situations, further delaying results, even though counting centres are protected by metal fencing so there is no disruption.
After this, then it is the turn of Proportional Representation (PR) ballots to be counted. Weeks pass by the time the results of candidates and parties are tallied and verified. But the most common delay is because election officers think ballot counting is a nine-to-five job.&nbsp;
“The efficiency of poll station officers is most important, and they are incentivised for this,” says Ansari, adding that counting can even start within an hour after voting closes.
In remote areas, local resources could be mobilised to make counting quicker, but there is a crisis of trust, adds Ansari.&nbsp;
That could be easily solved with electronic voting which the EC implemented in the 2008 polls but discontinued because political parties felt the machines could be hacked or manipulated.

Nepalis Select Who To Elect

On Saturday, Iran retaliated with missile strikes on Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain and Qatar, a region where there are an estimated 2 million Nepalis working to send money home. In addition, thousands of Nepalis were preparing to board flights to Kathmandu from West Asian cities this weekend to vote in the 5 March election. Many are said to be stranded at various aviation hubs. A Qatar Airways flight from Doha took off just before the air space was closed, while Air Arabia and Kuwait Airways have diverted or cancelled flights. Nepalis in the West Asian region said things were relatively calm where they were, although some heard loud explosions at about noon local time. In Dubai, some thought they were Ramadan fireworks.&nbsp; In Kuwait, nearly 2,000 Nepalis working in the US military base as security guards and cleaners were evacuated before the strikes. In Bahrain where the US Fifth Fleet naval base is located and which was hit by two Iranian missiles, workers contacted by Nepali Times said the situation was under control and the authorities had told everyone to stay indoors and not use highways. The conflict also coincided with the beginning of Nepal’s trekking and mountaineering season, and tourists were either on their way or planning to leave European and North American cities for Himalayan hikes. Most of them transit through Doha, Dubai or Kuwait and all three airports are closed. Turkish Airlines flights via Istanbul are still operating.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260228130212_ab5e132d56da1df6a3fb1b6919648f845a168ad2c51d79f7587fb85a6e913b97.png" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20260228130212_ab5e132d56da1df6a3fb1b6919648f845a168ad2c51d79f7587fb85a6e913b97" data-rendition-name="original" width="1864" height="826" loading="lazy" alt="Qatar and UAE airspace closed"> <figcaption>Qatar and UAE airspace closed. Credit: Flightradar24</figcaption> </figure>  However, the main impact for the world could be a spike in the price of petroleum products if the strategic Strait of Hormuz is blocked. China relies on Iranian oil for their refineries, and Nepal could be affected indirectly if the economies of its neighbours are hit. Nepal imports all its diesel, petrol, LPG and aviation fuel from India which sources it mainly from the Gulf, and until recently from Russia. Petroleum makes up 25% of the value of all imports, and that is more than Nepal earns from all its exports. Saudi Arabia this year overtook the UAE as the main destination for Nepali workers, with the number now totalling 400,000. There are said to be as many in the UAE, and another 350,000 in Qatar. There are another 100,000 mostly women in Kuwait, and 50,000 each in Oman and Bahrain.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260228130220_d24ae633ff84f283835434becdb2f1351f84c415ce87ca34378bd4e2669661b3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20260228130220_d24ae633ff84f283835434becdb2f1351f84c415ce87ca34378bd4e2669661b3" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="West Asia Iran conflict"> <figcaption>Iran retaliated with missile strikes on Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain and Qatar on Saturday.</figcaption> </figure>  Nepal receives nearly $11 billion a year in remittances from overseas Nepalis (not counting India) through official channels, although the total is said to be much more. &nbsp;This makes up more than a quarter of Nepal’s GDP equivalent — one of the highest proportions in the world. More than half of the overseas remittances to Nepal comes from its workers in the Gulf, and it is the mainstay of the country’s economy. Nepalis in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE alone send home more than $3 billion a year, much of that helping support their families back home. An average Nepali worker in the Gulf sends home nearly $2,500 a year, and this is spent mainly for household supplies, children’s education and healthcare. There are also an estimated 7,000 Nepali caregivers and healthcare workers in Israel, and most of them are women. The Nepal Embassy has asked Nepalis in Israel to take caution and move to bomb shelters.

West Asia war and Nepalis

&nbsp;The BBC documentary <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idv4mMGHPLk&amp;t=173s">Shot Like Enemies: Inside Nepal’s GenZ Uprising</a> set off a frenzied debate in the public sphere, highlighting how sensitive international coverage of the country still is for Nepalis despite the national media doing its job. The investigative report focussed on the massacre outside Parliament on 8 September that led to the collapse of the government and paved the way for the election on Thursday.&nbsp; There was praise from supporters of the film and scathing criticism. Raw clips and leaked conversations showed how deliberately the protesters were shot in cold blood. Others saw a sinister conspiracy behind the release of what they regarded as a one-sided documentary just a week before the election. News in the foreign media of the election from Nepal was eclipsed this week by the war in West Asia. Nepali Times brings this selection of readings from the international press. For the complete articles go online or type in the links.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260303110320_be0e1078a3563f9433e73af614fc24db7fb0d42560c88d9522a8b17e944a3e3f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20260303110320_be0e1078a3563f9433e73af614fc24db7fb0d42560c88d9522a8b17e944a3e3f" data-rendition-name="original" width="759" height="412" loading="lazy" alt="international coverage of Nepal elections"> </figure>  Read the <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/3/2/balen-shah-rapper-mayor-nepals-next-prime-minister">full story</a> here.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260303110320_493b9bca6cd984aa0d846ee577a3ef5aadc11086f6387c6b5b3f6d1c21b087a6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20260303110320_493b9bca6cd984aa0d846ee577a3ef5aadc11086f6387c6b5b3f6d1c21b087a6" data-rendition-name="original" width="636" height="678" loading="lazy" alt="international coverage of Nepal elections"> </figure>  Read the <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/nepali-parties-promise-big-ahead-of-polls-however-concerns-remain/article70688498.ece">full story</a> here.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260303110320_b813313c898a1addf207ee663210ae8ebc0cd2f47ba8fb088530c445a733896b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20260303110320_b813313c898a1addf207ee663210ae8ebc0cd2f47ba8fb088530c445a733896b" data-rendition-name="original" width="625" height="582" loading="lazy" alt="international coverage of Nepal elections"> </figure>  Read the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgqgl3j5nj4o">full story</a> here.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260303110320_b643581c73d3e4babef9e1f89414b33864c2807a5488cd1c0d2de6d34755a42c.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20260303110320_b643581c73d3e4babef9e1f89414b33864c2807a5488cd1c0d2de6d34755a42c" data-rendition-name="original" width="701" height="813" loading="lazy" alt="international coverage of Nepal elections"> </figure>  Read the <a href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/dispatches/will-nepals-long-standing-nonalignment-survive-the-first-election-after-its-gen-z-uprising/">full story</a> here.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260303110320_934a42f754451d7354407413f3eaa0fd8fff798122f7e419fdaef82dfe1895ab.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20260303110320_934a42f754451d7354407413f3eaa0fd8fff798122f7e419fdaef82dfe1895ab" data-rendition-name="original" width="631" height="759" loading="lazy" alt="international coverage of Nepal elections"> </figure>  Read the <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/in-nepal-polls-political-parties-root-for-mega-infrastructure/">full story</a> here.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260303110320_b5152c5addd7c988a4eb2bbd1dfbec78ea0113677792bf986b622dacbd9d2463.jpg" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="20260303110320_b5152c5addd7c988a4eb2bbd1dfbec78ea0113677792bf986b622dacbd9d2463" data-rendition-name="original" width="961" height="803" loading="lazy" alt="international coverage of Nepal elections"> </figure>  Read the <a href="https://scroll.in/article/1090389/nepals-election-is-referendum-on-its-future-and-democracy-in-south-asia">full story</a> here.