Nepal, sandwiched between two populous neighbors, India and Tibet/China, goes to national polls on Thursday. Political observers across Asia are closely watching Pushpa Kamal Dahal (popularly known as Prachanda), a communist leader who led a decade-long anti-monarchy Maoist movement in the Hindu-majority Himalayan nation, which dethroned the last king, Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, in 2006.
Within two years, the poverty-stricken country of over 30 million people abolished its 240-year-old monarchy to emerge as a multi-party federal democratic republic, and Prachanda became prime minister in 2008.
The septuagenarian leader now heads an alliance of several leftist groups under the banner of the Nepali Communist Party. Engaging other prominent Marxist leaders like Madhav Kumar Nepal, Prachanda now hopes to revive his popularity and influence in the country.
The Maoists promised much, but in reality, the people of Nepal witnessed high-level corruption in public life under the newly established political system. Moreover, frequent changes in government, with 14 premature reshuffles among political leaders recorded within two decades, have disheartened the common Nepali citizen.
Former premier KP Sharma Oli (leading the Communist Party of Nepal–Unified Marxist Leninist), young politician Balendra Shah (representing the Rashtriya Swatantra Party), and Gagan Thapa (of Nepali Congress) are all vying for the coveted post of Nepal’s government chief. Meanwhile, a section of hardcore Hindu nationalists is demanding the restoration of the monarchy, at least as a ceremonial head of state, in place of the President.
At least one mainstream political party, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (National Democratic Party), has called for bringing back the constitutional monarchy and restoring Nepal’s status as a Sanatani Hindu Rashtra.
The right-wing RPP, which fielded candidates across the country, continues to organize public rallies in support of Gyanendra Shah, who now lives privately in Kathmandu. Whenever the former monarch makes scheduled visits to rural areas, pro-monarchists take to the streets waving national flags, carrying placards, and chanting slogans in favor of the septuagenarian royal scion.
Nepal’s interim government chief, Sushila Karki, along with the country’s election authority and human rights commission, has urged all parties to ensure free, fair, and clean elections so that voters can exercise their franchise in a peaceful environment. Political parties and candidates have been asked to comply with election codes of conduct, enabling citizens to elect their representatives without being misled.
The engagement of minors in election campaigns or any form of electoral promotion is strictly prohibited, as such actions violate both election codes and child protection laws. Regarding vote counting, the election authority assured that the outcome would be declared as early as possible.
Once polling concludes from 7 am to 5 pm on 5 March, ballot boxes will be immediately shifted to Kathmandu, and results for the direct voting system (165 seats) will be declared within 24 hours. Results under proportional representation (110 seats) will be announced within two to three days.
Amid these final-stage electoral preparations, Gyanendra Shah made a striking statement expressing his dissatisfaction with the country’s political situation and the behavior of current political leaders. On the occasion of the 74th National Democracy Day, the ousted king questioned the necessity of elections under circumstances where various pressing national problems remain unresolved through broad consensus.
Ahead of Nepal Prajatantra Diwas, observed on 19 February to commemorate the end of the 104-year-old autocratic Rana regime in 1951, Shah stated that pushing elections amid widespread disagreement and protests would not provide a lasting solution to Nepal’s current political crisis.
“In a democracy, it is appropriate for the state system and processes to function according to constitutional principles. While periodic elections to select representatives are a natural part of a democratic system, the current public sentiment suggests that it would be more appropriate to proceed with elections only after solving national problems,” said the former king, adding that a tendency to seek rights without considering duties has been growing.
Only a system and structure suited to Nepal’s geography and societal nature can yield sustainable and positive results, he asserted. Paying tribute to Tribhuvan Nripati and all the martyrs who sacrificed for democracy in the Himalayan republic, Shah called for a system that safeguards Nepali identity on the global stage.
Both the world’s largest democracy, India, and Communist China are closely observing the electoral process and potential outcomes in the coming days. Nepal will have to navigate relations with power centers in New Delhi and Beijing for years to come, while millions of downtrodden Nepalis hope for basic rights and opportunities under a stable, progressive, and citizen-friendly regime in Kathmandu.