Nepal on 'dangerous' road to constituent assembly polls
Media Communications Center
January 18, 2007
Nepal on 'dangerous' road to constituent assembly polls
BY SURENDRA SHARMA
After the November peace accord aimed at ending a decade-old Maoist insurgency, hopes are high in Nepal that the multi-party government, which will soon have the rebel Maoists in power too, could lead the nation to free and fair elections to the constituent assembly (CA) due for June. But, given the worsening law and order situation around the country, despite preparations to canton around 30,000 Maoist combatants under UN supervision, analysts are painting a bleak picture of the transitional period. The run-up to the CA polls, they say, is going to be extremely difficult in the face of continuing 'bandhas' and strikes by dissatisfied groups.
Worse still, if the internal security situation is not improved, they say, the CA polls - that will elect an assembly tasked with writing a new constitution for 'new Nepal' - might as well have to be postponed, plunging this impoverished Himalayan nation of over 27 million into a deeper political crisis.
"Every step ahead is going to be extremely difficult," says political analyst Hari Bahadur Thapa. "If it doesn't correct its mistakes and tread cautiously - by taking all the political, regional and ethnic players into confidence - the [Girija Prasad Koirala] government could well meet with several accidents in the run-up to the elections."
The seven-party alliance government that forged a lose alliance with rebel Maoists last year came to power after a uprising in April, 2006, forced King Gyanendra to give up his 15-month-long autocratic rule.
Together, the parties promised a new democratic and inclusive Nepal.
But less than a year later, analysts feel, the parties have "failed" to embrace inclusiveness in their doings - such as signing of the peace agreement in November, and drafting of the interim government in December and formation of a new interim government for which work is currently on.
"The eight political parties have started showing a very dangerous attitude by ignoring other parties [such as the royalist Rastriya Prajatantra Party], professional organisations and even the judiciary," the mass-circulation Nepali-language Kantipur newspaper said in an editorial. This, it warned, could lead our "democracy" towards authoritarianism.
The reasons for apprehensions seem very valid. This week, Koirala ignored advises made by Nepal's senior judges, who suggested the eight parties make a few amendments in clauses dealing with judiciary in the interim constitution readied last month. The government has promulgated that vital document on January 15, paving the way for an interim legislature and an interim government which for the first time will have Maoists in them.
BY SURENDRA SHARMA
After the November peace accord aimed at ending a decade-old Maoist insurgency, hopes are high in Nepal that the multi-party government, which will soon have the rebel Maoists in power too, could lead the nation to free and fair elections to the constituent assembly (CA) due for June. But, given the worsening law and order situation around the country, despite preparations to canton around 30,000 Maoist combatants under UN supervision, analysts are painting a bleak picture of the transitional period. The run-up to the CA polls, they say, is going to be extremely difficult in the face of continuing 'bandhas' and strikes by dissatisfied groups.
Worse still, if the internal security situation is not improved, they say, the CA polls - that will elect an assembly tasked with writing a new constitution for 'new Nepal' - might as well have to be postponed, plunging this impoverished Himalayan nation of over 27 million into a deeper political crisis.
"Every step ahead is going to be extremely difficult," says political analyst Hari Bahadur Thapa. "If it doesn't correct its mistakes and tread cautiously - by taking all the political, regional and ethnic players into confidence - the [Girija Prasad Koirala] government could well meet with several accidents in the run-up to the elections."
The seven-party alliance government that forged a lose alliance with rebel Maoists last year came to power after a uprising in April, 2006, forced King Gyanendra to give up his 15-month-long autocratic rule.
Together, the parties promised a new democratic and inclusive Nepal.
But less than a year later, analysts feel, the parties have "failed" to embrace inclusiveness in their doings - such as signing of the peace agreement in November, and drafting of the interim government in December and formation of a new interim government for which work is currently on.
"The eight political parties have started showing a very dangerous attitude by ignoring other parties [such as the royalist Rastriya Prajatantra Party], professional organisations and even the judiciary," the mass-circulation Nepali-language Kantipur newspaper said in an editorial. This, it warned, could lead our "democracy" towards authoritarianism.
The reasons for apprehensions seem very valid. This week, Koirala ignored advises made by Nepal's senior judges, who suggested the eight parties make a few amendments in clauses dealing with judiciary in the interim constitution readied last month. The government has promulgated that vital document on January 15, paving the way for an interim legislature and an interim government which for the first time will have Maoists in them.
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