Kathmandu. Emphasis has been laid on technical preparation, institutional capacity building, cyber security and inter-agency coordination to implement the internet voting system.

Chief Election Commissioner Man Bahadur Karki said necessary technology, human resources and institutional capacity should be developed for the implementation of the internet voting system.

He stressed the need for effective coordination between cybersecurity and the concerned government agencies for the reliability and safe operation of the system. Election Commissioner Dr Rajiv Subba said that there is a need for skill mapping of the knowledge, skills, human resources and technical capacity related to information and communication technology available not only in the EC but also in various government agencies while moving towards the implementation of internet voting system in Nepal.

He stressed that since internet voting is a multidimensional and inter-agency issue, it is necessary to identify the expertise and skills available in the field of digital identity, voter verification, data exchange, cyber security, system development, infrastructure and operation. He said that ‘skill mapping’ will provide the basis for identifying and utilizing the necessary technical manpower, expertise and institutional capacity.

Experts from the Netherlands, Estonia, Bosnia, Panama and the United Kingdom shared their views on the technical structure, security and operation of the internet voting system.