The mayor of Pokhara is the head of the municipal executive of Pokhara Metropolitan City. The role was first created in 1959.
The current mayor is Dhana Raj Acharya who was elected in the 2022 election. The position has been held by sixteen people since its creation.
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.
Power and functions 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. The mayor derives its power from the Local Government Operation Act, 2017.
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.
Elections 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.
List of mayors
Transition period (1959–60) #MayorTerm of office1Shiva Bahadur Thapa19591960
Panchayat era (1960–1988) #Pradhan PanchaTerm of office2Nagendra Bahadur Rayamajhi196019663Ambar Bahadur Karki196619714Rudra Bahadur Karki197119745Dilip Kumar Palikhe197419756Ramesh Bahadur Bhattarai197519767Ganesh Sherchan197619818Shree Prasad Gurung198119829Uttam Bahadur Pun1982198410Surya Bahadur K.C.19841988
Constitutional monarchy era (1992–2007) #MayorTerm of officePolitical party11Bhola Thapa19921997Nepali Congress12Krishna Bahadur Thapa19972001CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist)13Harka Bahadur Gurung20032004Appointed by King Gyandendra14Bhimsen Thapa20042007
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal (2017–22) #MayorTerm of officeElectedPolitical party15Man Bahadur G.C.May 29, 2017May 19, 20222017CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist)16Dhana Raj AcharyaMay 27, 2022present2022CPN (Unified Socialist)
See also
Pokhara Mayor of Kathmandu Local government in Nepal List of mayors of municipalities in Nepal
References