Elections - 2013
On November 19, 2013, Nepal held elections to replace the Constituent Assembly (CA), which was suspended in May 2012 after it was unable to draft a constitution by a deadline established by the Supreme Court. The elections of November 19, 2013 passed relatively peacefully with no serious malpractices reported. Of the total registered voters of over 12 million, 9.5 million (over 78%) voted. Although the total number of registered voters for the 2008 CA election was 17.6 million, the turnout was lower at 60%. Analysis suggested that the population was frustrated16 with the politicians for their conduct during the tenure of the first CA. They were also concerned about violence as the 33 party Alliance decided to boycott the election and disrupt the process. The population, however, still believed17 in the democratic political process and turned out to vote. The Carter Center and other international observers stated that the election was well conducted. The US, UK, India, China and other countries congratulated Nepal for a well conducted election.
Nepal's oldest political party won the most seats in the first set of results from last week's election ahead of two prominent communist parties. The election results showed that the Nepali Congress Party had won 105 of the 240 directly elected seats. The Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist) had won 91 seats and the United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) had won 26 seats of the directly elected seats. Counting for the 240 directly elected seats was completed on Monday the 25th November 2013. The result of the proportional representation system also saw the Nepal Congress party winning 91 seats followed by UML 84 seats and the UCPN-Maoist’s 54 seats. The CA held its first meeting on January 22, 2014, and talks were underway among Nepal’s political parties to form a new government. Nepal continued to be governed by an interim election government, headed by the Chief Justice that was put in place in March 2013.
This was the country’s second Constituent Assembly elections, which international and domestic observers deemed essentially credible, free, and fair. In an effort to obstruct the 2013 elections, a breakaway Maoist faction, the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) committed acts of political violence and intimidation and attempted to enforce a 10-day transportation ban. Despite such efforts, the Election Commission reported that more than 74 percent of registered voters participated, the highest figure in the country’s history. According to domestic and international observers, including the Carter Center and the EU, the elections themselves were conducted well and generally were free of major irregularities.
There had not been local elections since 1997. The government stated that local elections would be a priority once the new constitution was adopted. Elected local councils were dissolved in 2002, and in their absence senior civil servants conducted local administration in consultation with local political party representatives.
Nepal's interim government called on the newly elected Constituent Assembly to hold its first meeting on 22 January 2014. The assembly would attempt to write a new constitution and function as the parliament. Nepal held an election in 2008 after the monarchy was abolished. However, hopes of turning the country into a full-fledged democracy have been paralyzed for five years because of political wrangling, as well as ethnic, socio-economic and regional differences.
Nepal's parliament elected a prime minister February 10, 2014, ending a deadlock that has lasted since an election two months earlier. Sushil Koirala, the chief for the Nepali Congress party, was elected (with 405 votes of the 605-member parliament) Monday with the support of the communist UML party. It was not immediately clear whether other parties will join the coalition government. Koirala, 76, is the fourth member of his family to become prime minister. He must now oversee the drafting of a new constitution. The previous parliament was supposed to have written a new constitution in 2008 following the end of a decade-long Maoist insurgency and the overthrow of the centuries-old monarchy. However, the legislative body was riven by infighting and never finished its work.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
