Nepal - Articles

Once again Nepal achieved an important milestone in the ongoing peace process by forming an interim government on 1 April 2007. However, the delay and confusion among political parties while forming the interim government and the prevailing suspicions over the much awaited Constituent Assembly (CA) elections have some serious implications in the further course of the peace process. Can Nepal hold CA elections by the stipulated time of mid-June? Will this interim government handle the existing problems effectively?

Although the eight parties' coalition (seven party alliance and Maoists) has achieved consensus on forming the government, the struggle for acquiring influential portfolios and hierarchy inside the alliance have evidently demonstrated the differences among the parties. The present development in Nepal could be appreciated for two reasons: firstly for declaring the date for CA elections on 20 June and secondly, the Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's ability to form the cabinet before attending the SAARC summit. Nevertheless, this time too, the parties have displayed their hunger for power as they had a major disagreement over the allocation of ministerial berths. Differences among the coalition parties were strongly evident when they blamed each other for every setback in the political front and refused to bear collective moral responsibility for untoward incidents. By and large, the parties in the alliance have forgotten the urgency and critical task of creating a conducive atmosphere for CA elections. Now, it is not just the Maoists' problems that are to be resolved, but several major socio-economic and political issues also need to be addressed in the forthcoming days. While the country is in this critical phase of transition, the parties should refrain from raising issues of self-interest.

In spite of repeated warnings from the Election Commission (EC) regarding the government's lackluster attitude towards the CA elections, there was no adequate attention given to their demands. It was only after the EC threatened to postpone the polls, that the Parliament passed two key election related bills that have provided the much needed legal tools to conduct the CA elections. These bills include provisions concerning the rights, functions and responsibilities of the Election Commission and control and punishment of the election-related offences and irregularities. The other notable unaccomplished issues are revision of the voters list and delineation of electoral constituencies. While 95 per cent of the voters list has been updated, it is vital for the government to finalize the number of total constituencies on the basis of population growth and the constitution as it was amended by the authorities. Also, it is essential to keep in mind that the government has to arrange ballot boxes, appoint election officials and security personnel for some 17,500 polling booths.

Even after a year-long return to mainstream politics, the Maoists have not completely stopped their extrajudicial activities in Nepal. Incidents of Maoist excesses have triggered mass protest movements against them across the country, which again impede the government's efforts to prepare for the elections. In the past decade, Maoists were increasingly successful in advocating their ideology and spread their influence chiefly through intimidation and violence. In the changing environment, Maoists should understand that their unending violence will longer be an effective policy to influence the people particularly when they have entered into the competitive democratic system. Maoist leaders' oft-repeated assurances for a secure environment should not be a lip service to the rule of law. Also, it is important for the chain of command in the Maoist organization to keep its cadres under control especially when all the stakeholders have promised to fulfill their demands and recognized their participation in the interim government.

In recent months, the security situation in Nepal has been severely hurt by the unrest in the Terai. The threats against businesses and industries and the extortion spree have become intolerable for the entrepreneurs amid a series of strikes that has crippled the country's economy. In fact, the ongoing violent clashes between the Maoist cadres and the members of Madhesi Janadhikar Forum are quite disturbing. Moreover, reactionary forces have encouraged many groups to worsen the prevailing poor security situation chiefly in the Terai region. In order to help the government and security forces to establish rule of law across the country, the Maoists should abandon their violent activities against any of their political or ideological rivals. As the authorities have only 80 days for the CA elections, the coming days will certainly not be a pleasant phase for the interim government - it will be highly vulnerable to more terror and violence. For this, the political parties, civil society and the international community should assess the situation and act with utmost coordination and commitment to prevent the country from falling into the chaos of the authoritarian regime and decade-long violent insurgency from which it has only just been relieved.