Democracy For Nepal: Tie The Bell: Elections In November

Monday, April 09, 2007

Tie The Bell: Elections In November

Elections In November (March 1, 2007)

Technical Issues

There are obvious technical reasons. Say ballot papers. If it takes two months to just print the ballot papers and get them to the polling booths, and there are only 70 days left to June 20, and work on it has not even started, then how can you have elections? And that is just one simple question. There are a dozen such technical issues. Constituencies have not been finalized. The voters' list has not been finalized.

Law And Order

There are law and order issues. Unless all parties can work freely in all villages and all towns for at least a few months before the actual elections campaign, the elections will be meaningless. It is important that we form eight party governments also in all 75 districts, and also in all towns and villages. That is the best way to turn the Maoists into just another party. It has worked at the center, it will work at the local levels.

Madhesi Janajati Movement

There is the Madhesi Janajati Movement. Any organization like the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, or NEFIN, or JTMM-Goit could call a week long Nepal Band and disrupt the polls. It would be easy to do. That would be such a waste. It is important to take the four armed Madhesi groups through a process that the Maoists themselves went through. They also need peace talks, they also need cantonments. If you just take the Nepal Army and the Moaist Army, the Madhesis are vastly underrepresented in the first place. So it makes arithmetic sense to bring in the four armed Madhesi groups.

Nonviolent organizations like Madhesi Janadhikar Forum and NEFIN deserve respectful talks. Together they could easily disrupt the polls. If the Girija Koirala government had treated the Madhesi Kranti with respect when it first took off, maybe we would have had polls before monsoon.

Congress Unification

You can't do that over a weekend. The two factions will have to become one. They will likely need a convention. A new leadership will emerge. Maybe Girija will retire. Nobody is stating the obvious. The guy is physically too frail to carry out the hectic day to day tasks of an interim Prime Minister.

Deuba's Second Inning

Who is the most obvious successor to Girija in a unified Congress? Maybe Deuba. It is for the Congress to decide. But it might be time to get a new Prime Minister from within a unified Congress. It is time Girija get promoted and made a Ganeshman. He should now become a leader of all parties in the country by retiring from active politics.

Maybe it will be Deuba who will take the country to elections in November.

Democratic Republic Now

It is such a sham to wait. Even the RJP and RPP are for a republic as of now. What are the chances the unified Congress will not go for a republic? Nil. So if all parties in and out of power are for a republic, why the pretension?

The interim parliament needs to declare Nepal a republic right away. The monarchy is such a non issue. Declaring Nepal a republic will mean most of the conspiracy theories will go away. And the country can then focus on the important issue of state restructuring, primarily federalism.

What Shape Federalism

Every party is going to have to come up with a specific map. The Congress will have to. The UML will have to. Neither are anywhere close to having it. How can you go face the people without that map?

And the people will need a few months to take a look at all the maps being offered. The ultimate shape of federalism is going to be the thorniest issue in the constituent assembly. It is not going to be the monarchy.

New Parties

Madhesi Janadhikar Forum is poised to become a political party that will emerge one of the largest parties in the country. That group will also need a few months to gel. Give them some time.

UML, Maobadi

If the law and order stuff gets normal, and if the Maoists truly become a political party, and if the UML thinks they have, that will get the ball rolling on the idea of a unified communist party in Nepal. That will be a good thing. The UML is the best judge of whether the Maoists have ditched gun power and muscle power for real.

This process will also need a few months.

Three Parties

Ideally speaking, it will be nice if there are only three or four parties left as we go into the elections. One would be the unified Congress party. Another would be a single, unified Communist Party Of Nepal. A third would be the two factions of the Sadbhavana, the MJF, and the NEFIN, the social justice group. And maybe the RJP and the RPP will become one.

Right now only the Congress seems likely to get together. And that will be okay. That we now have a mixed system and half of the deal is proportional means even if there are many parties, people's votes will not go to waste.

As long as free, fair, and fearless elections can be held, it is okay, it is great to have many parties in the ring. Democracy is cacophony.

Future Army

Just like each party will need a map for federalism, each party will have to have a formula for the future Nepal Army. How many soldiers? What sort of ethnic and gender composition? How do you achieve both?

There is an urgent need for some clarity. The offering to the people has to be clear, so the people can make the final decision.

Deuba Off To DC
Deuba In Jackson Heights
Deuba At Hotel Pennsylvania
Deuba At Columbia

In The News

Be Ready for CA polls, says PM Koirala Himalayan Times
Polls on time if parties work unitedly: PM “I need your and Madhav Kumar Nepal’s full cooperation to hold the election on the scheduled date,” a Baluwatar source quoted the PM as telling Prachanda. ...... Martin is claimed to have told the Maoist supremo that the date of any election should be announced 90 days ahead ..... Martin is learnt to have asked Prachanda to resolve the issues raised by the Madhesis and Janajatis, who have been agitating since the interim constitution was declared on January 15. ...... Sujata Koirala on Sunday said constituent assembly election is not possible on June 20 ..... Everybody knows that it is not going to happen
Election on June 20 not feasible, says Martin not “technically and politically feasible” to hold the CA polls on June 20 ..... “It will take little time to address the Tarai and ethnic issues .... it was not feasible to hold elections on the said date if the issues of Tarai and ethnic minorities remain unresolved
Nepal alleges plot to scuttle polls

Govt to begin fresh talks with Madhesis; amnesty for 10 Maoists Kantipur
RPP writes off constitutional monarchy
PM says prepare for CA elections
JTMM demands prisoner exchange with government
Terai life crippled by JTMM strike
Ministers will be sacked if found corrupt: PM
Election observation committee formed
मुस्लिमद्वारा आरक्षण माग
जनजातिको पर््रदर्शनमा प्रहरी हस्तक्ष्ँेप
कुमारीको मानव अधिकार स्थितिबारे अध्ययन
ँकूटनीतिज्ञले चुनाव हुन सक्तैन भन्नु अशोभनीय’
दलित विद्यार्थी पाकशिक्षाबाट वञ्चित
गाविस भवनमा माओवादी कार्यालय
प्रधानमन्त्रीको वार्ताशक्ति
संघीय संरचनाको विकास
समीकरण नपुगेको अन्तरिम सरकार
आन्दोलनमा विचारहीनता
र्सर्ने भयो चुनाव असार ६ गतेका लागि सारिएको संविधानसभाको चुनाव पुनः कात्तिकसम्म र्सर्ने घोषणा हुन मात्र बा“की छ अब सरकारले चुनाव गराउ“छु भनेको समय जम्माजम्मी ७० दिनको छ भने ७० दिनभित्र सम्पन्न गर्नुपर्ने चुनावसम्बन्धी सम्पर्ूण्ा तयारी पूरा गरेर चुनाव सम्पन्न गराउन कस्सिएर काम गर्दा पनि एक सय ३५ दिन लाग्छ । ..... आठ राजनीतिक दलका नेताहरूमा राजनीतिक इच्छाशक्ति भए जतिसुकै जटिल परििस् थतिमा पनि चुनाव हुनसक्ने तर्कले पनि वैधता गुमाइसकेको छ । चुनाव प्राविधिक विषय हो । इच्छाशक्ति बलियो भए पनि चुनावका लागि प्राविधिक शक्ति महत्त्वपर्ूण्ा हुन्छ । आठ दलका नेताहरूले समयको महत्त्व बुझ्न नसक्दा आएको अप्ठ्यारो हो यो । ....... प्रचण्डले भने असार ६ गतेभित्र चुनाव हुन नसक्ने तथ्य स् वीकार गरसिक्नु भएको आभास पाइन्छ ..... राजनीतिक दलहरूले संविधानसभाका लागि ठोस कार्यसूची अगाडि नल्याएसम्म त्यस्तो चुनावको खासै अर्थ रह“दैन । ...... सात दलका नेताहरू काठमाडौ“बाट गाउ“ फर्किने परििस् थति अझै नबनेको गुनासो गर्दैछन् । ...... गाउ“ र जिल्ला तहमा अन्तरमि सरकारकै ढा“चामा र्सवदलीय प्रशासकीय प्रबन्ध ..... एकातिर मह“गी र अभावले शहरी जीवन अस्तव्यस्त बनेको छ भने अर्कोतिर शक्तिहरूबीच सन्तुलन मिल्न नसक्दा ग्रामीण जनजीवन असामान्य बन्न पुगेको छ । नेताहरूको अदूरदर्शिताका कारण जाति-जनजाति र मधेशी-गैरमधेशीका प्रश्नहरू आक्रामक ढङ्गले उठाइएका छन् । ...... चुनाव गराउ“दा चुनाव चुनावजस् तो नहोला भन्ने खतरा छ भने चुनाव नगराउ“दा फेर िकहिल्यै संविधानसभाको चुनाव नहुने खतरा पनि छ । ....... असार ६ मा हुने भनिएको चुनाव कात्तिकभित्र सम्पन्न गरनिे अर्को सरकारी घोषणा यसै साता आउन पनि सक्छ । .......प्रचण्डस“गकिशोर नेपालको कुराकानी : चैत २३ गते मात्रै संयुक्त राष्ट्रसङ्घका इयान मार्टिनस“ग मेरो कुराकानी भयो । उनीहरू असारमा त कुनै पनि हालतमा चुनाव हुनै सक्दैन भन्दैछन् । भइहाल्यो भने पनि त्यो चुनावको विश्वसनीयताको प्रश्न पनि उनीहरूले उठाएका छन् । ........ असारमा चुनाव भएन भने हामी सरकारबाट हट्दिन पनि सक्छौ“ ...... चुनाव भएन भने आठ पार्टर्ीीचमा राजनीतिक एकता बनिराख्छ भन्न सकि“दैन । ...... हाम्रा ३१ हजार साथीहरू अहिले पनि बडो अप्ठ्यारो स्थितिमा बसिराखेका छन् । त्यो क्यान्टोनमेण्टको व्यवस्थापन र त्यहा“ भएका जनमुक्ति सेनाका योद्धाहरूको भरणपोषणमा अहिलेको जस्तै लापरबाही ............................ सुरक्षाको पर्ूण्ा प्रत्याभूति र चुनावस“ग सम्बन्धित मुख्य मुद्दाहरू निराकरण नभएको ...... प्रमुख आयुक्त पोखरेलले निर्वाचनको मिति घोषणा हुनुपर्ूव सबै ऐन-नियम र आचारसंहिता, चुनावको वातावरण र निर्वाचन क्षेत्र निर्धारण हुनुपर्न ..... सुरक्षाकै कारण तर्राईका कतिपय जिल्लामा कार्यालय खोलेर काम गर्ने अवस्था नरहेको ..... छलफलमा प्रमुख आयुक्त पोखरेललाई आश्वस्त पार्दै गृहमन्त्री सिटौलाले रातदिन काम गरेर भए पनि समयमा निर्वाचन सम्पन्न गराउनैपर्ने बताउ“दै शान्ति सुरक्षाप्रति ढुक्क हुन आग्रह गरे । ....... चुनावमा छुट्टाछुट्टै दर्ुइ मतपत्र राखिने भएकाले आयोगले करीब चार करोड मतपत्र छाप्नुपर्ने हुन्छ । तर, समय अभावका कारण नेपालभित्र छाप्न सक्ने अवस्था छैन । चुनावी प्रणाली र क्षेत्र निर्धारण हुन नसक्दा मतपत्र छाप्ने कार्य सम्भव हुने देखि“दैन । ......... चार महिना बितिसक्दा पनि संविधानसभा सदस्य निर्वाचन ऐन, राजनीतिक दलसम्बन्धी ऐन र संविधानसभा अदालत ऐन अझै पारति हुन सकेका छैनन् । ती ऐनको अभावमा २६ वटा नियम-निर्देशिका तयार गर्न बा“की रहेको छ । यति मात्र होइन, आयोगले अझै मदताता नामावलीसमेत अद्यावधिक गर्न सकेको छैन । ...... आयोगले ५० जिल्लाको मतदाता नामावलीको अन्तिम टुङ्गो लगाइसकेको जनाए पनि सरकारले नागरकिता वितरण टोलीको म्याद चैत मसान्तसम्म बढाएका कारण मतदाता अझै थपिने निश्चित छ । ०६२ चैत मसान्तसम्ममा एक करोड ५३ लाख मतदाता रहेकोमा यसपटक १४ प्रतिशतले वृद्धि भई एक करोड ७३ लाख पुग्ने आयोगको अनुमान छ । ....... निर्वाचन क्षेत्र निर्धारण हुन नसक्दा मतदान केन्द्र तय हुन सकेको छैन । आयोगका प्रवक्ता लक्ष्मण भट्टर्राईका अनुसार मतदान केन्द्र तोक्न नसक्दा यकिन लागत खर्च, आवश्यक सुरक्षाकर्मी, कर्मचारी यकिन हुन सकेको छैन । निर्वाचनका लागि एक लाख ४० हजार कर्मचारी र करीब दर्ुइ अर्ब २५ करोड रुपिया“ खर्च लाग्ने अनुमान आयोगको छ । निर्वाचनको मिति घोषणा भएपछि निर्वाचन सामग्री खरदि गर्नुपर्ने र त्यसको प्याकिङ् र ढुवानी गर्न दर्ुइ महिना लाग्ने दाबी आयोगका कर्मचारीहरूको छ । ....... संविधानसभा निर्वाचनमा एक हजार मतदाता बराबर एक मतदान केन्द्र राख्ने आयोगको योजना छ । जस अनुसार, नौ हजार मतदान केन्द्र र आठ हजार उपकेन्द्र राख्ने प्रस्ताव आयोगले गरेको छ । ....... संविधानसभाको निर्वाचन असारबाट कात्तिकसम्म सरेमा आर्श्चर्य नमाने हुन्छ । आयोगले गर्न बा“की कार्यहरु

मितदाता नामावली प्रशोधन
चिुनावको कानूनी आधार निर्माण
मितपत्र तयारी, छपाइ र ढुवानी
दिल दर्ता
मितदाता सन्देश निर्माण
प्रिचारप्रसार
मितदान केन्द्र निर्धारण
खिटिने कर्मचारीलाई तालिम
ििनर्वाचन कार्यालय स्थापना र कार्यक्रम प्रकाशन
भिौतिक स्रोत, साधन र त्यसको व्यवस्थापन
हाम्रो लक्ष्य पद, पैसा र मोटर सुविधा होइन’ हिसिला यमी भौतिक योजना तथा निर्माणमन्त्री अब 'क्यान्टोनमेन्ट' भित्रको हालत कति दयनीय छ भने तर्राई क्षेत्रमा सात सयजति त र्सप नै मार्नुपर्‍यो । टेन्टभित्र बस्दा लामखुट्टेले सताएको छ । खानेपानीसमेत पर्याप्त छैन ।

Now it’s RPP’s turn to ‘snub’ monarchy NepalNews
Govt forms 3-member team to hold talks with agitating groups led by Peace and Reconstruction minister Ram Chandra Poudel to hold talks with various agitating groups including Madhesis and indigenous communities. .... to resolve their demands politically ..... Minister of State for Water Resources Gyanendra Karki and Minister of State for General Administration Ram Chandra Yadav
Terai bandh affects normal life Normal life in eastern and central Terai has been affected due to the bandh (shutdown) called by Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM), Jwala Singh faction, on Monday. ..... Highways and other roads in Morang, Siraha, Saptari, Dhanusha and Mahottari districts remain deserted while industries and marketplaces have closed. .... calling it a 'public holiday' to mark the 'liberation' of Terai.
Doctors launch protest demanding Dr. Singh's release to secure the release of Dr. Murali Prasad Singh, who was abducted from Rajbiraj, Saptari district, six days ago by an unknown group.
Maoists must return seized properties: Koirala

Congress to kick off campaign from Pokhara; unity to proceed after Deuba's return NepalNews
JTMM-Goit to disrupt CA polls there was no need of holding the constituent assembly polls as the Tarai region is independent and has been declared so. .... Jwala Sing led faction of JTMM said that the faction has no policy to hinder the ongoing SLC examinations.
Locals lock up 8-party leaders, VDC Secy Locals of Govindapur in Morang district locked up representatives of eight political parties and VDC secretary inside the VDC building for four hours protesting against the early return of a government citizenship distribution team from the area.

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9 April