Nepal’s CA Polls Postponed

Nepal’s six political parties have decided to postpone the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections scheduled for 22 November 2007. This information came from political sources affiliated to parties. As to the postponement, the Nepali Congress and the UML, have blamed on Maoists, who denied the elections and blamed on the Nepali Congress. The Maoists had earlier demanded for the declaration of republic from the Legislative and the provision for the all-proportional representation in the CA polls. The Congress did not come to terms till 7 0’ clock six parties meeting today. Following the inter-party consultations this morning, they decided to postpone the propose elections without deciding any other date.

Although other parties, namely, the UML, the People’s Front, the Workers and Peasants’ Party and others claimed they wanted the republic and the proportional representation, they did their best to persuade the Maoists to give their agenda of the republic and proportional representation.

Commenting on the postponement of the proposed November 22 CA polls, Badri Bahadur Bhusal (a street vendor) said, “I don’t know why the CA polls are postponed several times. I think they ((he refers to parties) could not convince one another.” Binod Shrestha, a collegiate, thinks the parties should not have postponed the elections. He adds, “They should have declared Nepal a republic as the people wanted during the mass movement. They are just confusing us more.” A woman standing nearby a microbus stop at Ratnapark in Kathmandu (she calls herself Sumitra) wonders why Maoists want the republic and proportional representation. “They have not made us understand their agenda,” she said. She adds, “We need to understand how the republic and proportional representation are different from the existing systems.” But Prajwol Khadka of Lalitpur believes that no other changes in the country are possible without dismantling monarchial and feudalistic structures first. He says, “We have not felt changes here. People’s movement said one thing, they are doing other things.”

Maoists at present claim they are preparing ground for the CA polls by weakening feudalism in the country. They are engaged in exposing corrupt and accused individuals as pointed out by a Rayamjhi probe commission. Government has not taken any actions against those found guilty by the probe commission.

Currently, about 20 armed groups in the Terai region, have emerged with a promise to disrupt the CA polls. But the government has not assured people of security at all. Human rights experts in Nepal are worried about this. Even mass media have not been allowed to freely collect information in the rural parts of the Terai where several armed groups with clear links to Indian criminal gangs are extremely active at present. However, the postponement of the CA polls has not addressed these issues. The six party alliance and the Maoist party have blamed each other of not wanting the CA polls.

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