Nepal Bar Association Holds Chairperson Election Today

The election for the chairperson of the 27th Central Working Committee of the Nepal Bar Association is happening today, with voting from 8 am to 4 pm at 36 polling stations both in and outside Kathmandu.

The main competition is between Senior Advocate Professor Bijay Prasad Mishra, who is backed by a broad group of democratic, progressive, and inclusive legal professionals, and Senior Advocate Raman Kumar Shrestha, who represents a group of professional legal practitioners.

A total of five candidates are running for the chairpersonship, including independent candidates Advocate Raju Kaiti, Advocate Ujwal Ghimire, and Advocate Ashish Poudel.

Both Mishra and Shrestha have presented full teams and their plans. Mishra’s team includes Senior Advocate Kedar Prasad Koirala as general secretary, while Shrestha’s team has Advocate Yagya Mani Neupane for the same position.

Mishra’s team promises to make reforms in the Bar by improving its structure and policies. They aim to strengthen the Bar’s role in protecting the constitution, the rule of law, judicial independence and human rights. They also want to create more opportunities for young and female lawyers, bring artificial intelligence into legal work and turn the Bar into a center for academic research.

Shrestha’s team focuses on reforms to improve the skills of legal professionals, protect the rights and dignity of lawyers, and make sure the judiciary is accountable and free from corruption. They also want to boost lawyers’ skills in using technology.

According to Chief Election Officer Senior Advocate Ram Krishna Nirala, there are 9,957 eligible voters. Nearly 6,000 of them are expected to vote at the Supreme Court in Kathmandu. In addition to the chairperson vote, 57 candidates are competing for 25 other positions in the new committee.