Constitution of Nepal 2015: Full Structure, Parts and Schedules

The Constitution of Nepal (Nepali: Nepal ko Sambidhan), promulgated on 20 September 2015 (3 Ashwin 2072 BS), is the fundamental law of Nepal and the seventh constitution in the country's modern history. It replaced the Interim Constitution of 2007, which had governed the country during the transition from monarchy to republic. The constitution was adopted by the second Constituent Assembly and signed into force by President Ram Baran Yadav.

Structurally, the document is organised into a Preamble, 35 Parts, 308 Articles and 9 Schedules, making it the most comprehensive of Nepal's constitutions. It declares Nepal to be an independent, indivisible, sovereign, secular, inclusive, democratic, socialism-oriented federal democratic republic, and it abolishes the centralised unitary structure inherited from earlier eras in favour of a three-tier federal system.

The constitution is the product of a long peace and state-building process that followed the decade-long Maoist insurgency (1996-2006) and the 2006 people's movement (Jana Andolan II), which ended Nepal's monarchy. The Interim Constitution of 2007 set the stage by providing for a Constituent Assembly to write a permanent constitution.

A first Constituent Assembly, elected on 10 April 2008 with 601 members, declared Nepal a federal democratic republic but was dissolved in May 2012 without agreeing on a final draft, largely due to disputes over federalism and the demarcation of provinces. A second Constituent Assembly was elected on 19 November 2013. After the devastating April 2015 earthquake added urgency to the process, the second Assembly endorsed the constitution by an overwhelming majority and promulgated it on 20 September 2015. Some Madhesi and Tharu parties opposed parts of the text, and amendments followed in subsequent years.

The Preamble frames the constitution as the act of the sovereign people of Nepal. It recalls the historic people's movements, the armed conflict and the sacrifices made for democracy, and it commits the state to ending discrimination and oppression rooted in the previous feudalistic, autocratic, centralised and unitary system.

It pledges to protect and promote unity in diversity by recognising Nepal's multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious, multi-cultural and diverse regional character. Central commitments include socialism based on democratic norms, a competitive multiparty system, civil liberties, fundamental and human rights, adult franchise, periodic elections, and proportional inclusion to build an egalitarian society.

The 35 Parts move from the preliminary provisions and citizenship, through the bill of rights, to the detailed architecture of the three tiers of government and the constitutional bodies that oversee them. The list below gives the official title of each Part.

The Schedules carry the national symbols and, critically, the allocation of powers across the federal, provincial and local governments. Schedules 5 to 9 are the working blueprint for Nepal's federalism, setting out exclusive and concurrent jurisdiction at each level.

The constitution restructures Nepal into three tiers of government: a federation, seven provinces, and 753 local levels (metropolitan cities, sub-metropolitan cities, municipalities and rural municipalities). Each tier has its own elected executive and legislature, and the division of powers among them is set out in Schedules 5 through 9. The seven provinces are listed in Schedule 4, with their boundaries defined by the districts grouped under each.

Part 3 guarantees 31 fundamental rights, a notably expansive bill of rights that includes the rights to equality, freedom, justice, life with dignity, property, religion, information, privacy, and against exploitation, alongside social and economic rights to education, health, food, housing and employment. It also includes specific rights for women, children, Dalits, senior citizens, consumers and people with disabilities, reflecting the constitution's emphasis on proportional inclusion and social justice.

Part 31 governs amendment of the constitution. Most provisions can be amended by a two-thirds majority of each federal House, while a small set of fundamental features cannot be amended in a way that contradicts Nepal's sovereignty, territorial integrity or the sovereignty vested in the people. The document has been amended on a small number of occasions since 2015, including changes responding to demands from Madhesi groups and later boundary-related updates.

The 2015 constitution is historically significant as the first in Nepal to be written by an elected Constituent Assembly rather than granted by a monarch, and as the legal foundation of the federal democratic republic. The day of its promulgation, 20 September, is now marked annually as Constitution Day.