The mayor of Pokhara is the head of the municipal executive of Pokhara Metropolitan City. The role was first created in 1959.[2]

Mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan City
पोखरा महानगरपालिकाका नगर प्रमुख
since 27 May 2022
StyleNo courtesy or style ascribed
TypeExecutive Head
SeatOffice of Municipal Executive, Pokhara
AppointerElectorate of Pokhara
Term lengthFive years, renewable once
Constituting instrumentConstitution of Nepal
Inaugural holderShiva Bahadur Thapa
Formation1959
DeputyDeputy Mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan City
Salaryरु 43,000[1]
Websitepokharamun.gov.np

The current mayor is Dhana Raj Acharya who was elected in the 2022 election.[3] The position has been held by sixteen people since its creation.[4][5]

The city of Pokhara is governed by the Pokhara Metropolitan City Council and the mayor is supported by the municipal executive which consists of the deputy mayor and ward chairs of all 33 wards of Pokhara.[6]

Power and functions

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The mayor is elected by the residents of Pokhara Metropolitan City for a five-year period that is renewable only once. The municipal executive is formed under the chairmanship of the mayor. Local government in Nepal has authority over the local units pursuant to Schedule 8 of the Constitution of Nepal.[7] The mayor derives its power from the Local Government Operation Act, 2017.[8]

The main functions of the mayor are:

  • Summon and chair meetings of the municipal assembly and the municipal executive.
  • Table agendas and proposals to the municipal assembly and the municipal executive.
  • Prepare and present the annual programmes and budget.
  • Enforce the decisions of the assembly and the executive.
  • Oversee the work of committees and sub-committees of the municipality and ward committees.

The mayor of Pokhara is also a member of the Kaski District Assembly and the senate of Pokhara University.[9][10]

Elections

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The mayor is elected though first-past-the-post voting for a period of five-years. In order to qualify as a candidate for mayor, the person must be a citizen of Nepal, must be over the age of twenty-one years, must be a voter who is registered in the electoral roll of Pokhara Metropolitan City and must not be disqualified by law.[11]

List of mayors

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Transition period (1959–60)

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# Mayor Term of office
1 Shiva Bahadur Thapa 1959 1960

Panchayat era (1960–1988)

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# Pradhan Pancha Term of office
2 Nagendra Bahadur Rayamajhi 1960 1966
3 Ambar Bahadur Karki 1966 1971
4 Rudra Bahadur Karki 1971 1974
5 Dilip Kumar Palikhe 1974 1975
6 Ramesh Bahadur Bhattarai 1975 1976
7 Ganesh Sherchan 1976 1981
8 Shree Prasad Gurung 1981 1982
9 Uttam Bahadur Pun 1982 1984
10 Surya Bahadur K.C. 1984 1988

Constitutional monarchy era (1992–2007)

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# Mayor Term of office Political party
11 Bhola Thapa 1992 1997 Nepali Congress
12 Krishna Bahadur Thapa 1997 2001 CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist)
13 Harka Bahadur Gurung 2003 2004[12] Appointed by King Gyandendra
14 Bhimsen Thapa 2004 2007

Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal (2017–22)

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# Mayor Term of office Elected Political party
15 Man Bahadur G.C. May 29, 2017[13] May 19, 2022 2017 CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist)
16 Dhana Raj Acharya May 27, 2022[14] present 2022 CPN (Unified Socialist)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Province 4 assembly endorses bill related to salary and perks for local reps". 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2022-05-28.
  2. ^ "नेपालमा स्थानीय निर्वाचन !". Nepal Khoj. 14 May 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-28.
  3. ^ "Dhanraj Acharya elected mayor of Pokhara". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2022-05-28.
  4. ^ "पोखराको १५औँ मेयर को ? (यस्तो छ इतिहास)". Nagarik Khabar. 2022-05-11. Retrieved 2022-05-28.
  5. ^ "पोखरा महानगरको पाँच वर्ष" (PDF). Pokhara Metropolitan City. 6 May 2022.
  6. ^ Article 216, Clause 2 of the Constitution of Nepal (September 20, 2015)
  7. ^ Article Schedule 8 of the Constitution of Nepal (September 20, 2015)
  8. ^ स्थानीय सरकार सञ्चालन ऐन, २०७४ [Local Government Operation Act, 2017] (PDF) (26, 16.4.A) (in Nepali). Legislature Parliament of Nepal. 15 October 2017. p. 38–39.
  9. ^ Article 220, Clause 2, Section 17 of the Constitution of Nepal (2015)
  10. ^ पोखरा विश्वविद्यालय ऐन, २०५३ [Pokhara University Act, 1996] (PDF) (33, 7.2.i) (in Nepali). House of Representatives. 16 February 1997. p. 4.
  11. ^ Article 216, Section 5 of the Constitution of Nepal (September 20, 2015)
  12. ^ "A popular threat- Nepali Times". archive.nepalitimes.com. Retrieved 2022-05-28.
  13. ^ Pokharel, Santosh. "Pokhara's new mayor gets into action on day one". My Republica. Retrieved 2022-05-28.
  14. ^ "New mayor calls for declaring Pokhara as tourism capital of Nepal". English.MakaluKhabar.com. Retrieved 2022-05-28.