The tortuous journey from Hindu monarchy to
secular republic has entailed 26 governments in 27 years, with Sunday’s
elections exposing further political rifts
By Pete
Pattisson
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A
man dries screen-printed flags of the Rastriya Prajatantra party in Kathmandu.
Photograph:
Niranjan Shrestha/AP
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Voters in Nepal go to the polls on Sunday
hoping to bring an end to the chronic political instability reflected in the
rise and fall of 26 governments in the past 27 years.
No government has completed a full term since
the restoration of multi-party democracy in 1990, and most have lasted less
than 12 months, due to constant political turmoil marked by shaky coalitions
and backroom deals.
The elections are seen as a test of whether
the country can implement the new constitution, signed in 2015, and bring about
long-awaited political and social reform after 10 years of civil war and a
tortuous transition from a Hindu monarchy to a secular republic.
“This election will determine the future of
the country,” said Gyanu Adhikari, editor of Nepal’s online political journal
the Record. “Will we finally get a government that can last a full term and so
be held to account? Or will we continue to see more horse trading and endless
turnover?”
The polls mark the final step in a highly
contentious transition to a federal state, a process that in May led to local
elections being held for the first time in 20 years.
Sunday’s polls will complete the process with
the first phase of voting in provincial and central elections. The second
phase, which includes the capital Kathmandu, will take place on 7 December.
Devolution is expected to make it harder for
minor parties to win seats in parliament, while a number of strategic alliances
between the major parties have consolidated voting blocks, increasing the
likelihood that one can win an absolute majority.
The most significant is the left alliance of
nominally communist contenders, led by the Unified Marxist Leninist party (UML)
and the former rebel Maoists.
“If there is constant change it will threaten
our democracy and constitution,” said Rajan Bhattarai, a UML heavyweight and
parliamentary candidate in Kathmandu. “[This alliance] will allow us to provide
stable government, consolidate democracy and make progress on social issues.”
Nepal remains one of the poorest countries in
Asia and the elections are also viewed as a chance finally to address the
country’s urgent development needs.
“We need a stable government for development
… If a party wins with an absolute majority, they will be able to govern for at
least five years, without small parties holding them hostage. It will
definitely have a good impact on economic development,” said Yuba Raj
Khatiwada, a former head of the Nepal central bank.
But Rabindra Mishra, a former BBC journalist
and parliamentary candidate for Bibeksheel Sajha, a self-proclaimed
“alternative force” in politics, is less convinced. “Stability for what? When
forces with entirely vested interests or a corrupt past come together for the
long-term it will do more harm than good … We will inject integrity into
politics. It’s the lack of integrity which is primarily responsible for the
mess the country is in.”
The elections have exposed how far Nepal has
to go to achieve the more inclusive society promised in the constitution. Of
the 317 parliamentary candidates fielded by the three largest parties, only
three are Dalits and 18 are women.
“We may have a woman as president, but it’s
still the men who are running the country,” said Mina Dhakal, who lost her
place as a parliamentary candidate for the UML to a man. “Politics is still a
man’s game. Women are not given an opportunity.”
Minority groups too feel excluded, in
particular ethnic Madhesis from the southern plains, who believe the
constitution has ignored their concerns and consolidated power in the hands of
upper caste men from the hills.
It is a sentiment shared by the wider public.
On the streets of Baneshwor, a crowded residential area in the heart of
Kathmandu, voters repeatedly expressed disgust at their political leaders.
Sitting on a crate outside her shoe shop,
Shreejana Gautam said, “Nepal is a country with lots of problems and zero
solutions. Everything will continue as before. The only people who will be
better off are the leaders.”
