Nepal Municipal Elections: A Bit of Joke
21 February 2006 Nepal Municipal Elections: A Bit ofJoke By Siddhi B.Ranjitkar
"Sincerity willnever harm you" - GylesBrandreth
The king's government hasbeen making the mockery of democracy and democraticelectoral processes holding the municipal elections againstthe will of Nepalis and repeatedly telling the world themunicipal election is a success through the state-run media,and installing the so-called unscrupulously electedofficials at various municipalities. The world communitytold the king's government that the elections held againstthe will of the people was not legitimate. However, theministers of the king's government including theVice-chairman of the Council of Minister said that they didnot need to heed the international community's opinions onthe municipal elections, and they would hold parliamentaryelections in the similar fashion too.
What a government isit that could fake the elections and install their people atthe various positions of the municipalities? Some candidatesof political parties other than the party of the homeMinister taking part in the municipal elections came outopenly to say that the Home Minister faked the electionsmaking candidates of his party victorious in the elections.They claimed that the Home Minister used the king'sgovernment machinery to bring the election results in hisfavor; and the Home Minister instructed the police and armymen to work for the candidates of his party. However, theHome Minister quickly muzzled them.
The Indian Government,the US, the UK, the EU and Japan came out openly to say tothe king's government that the municipal elections withoutthe participation of the seven-party alliance that held morethan 90% of the seats in the dissolved House ofRepresentatives were meaningless to them. The EU even wentone step ahead saying that the municipal elections were astep backward from democracy.
Referring to the February 8civic polls in Nepal, Commonwealth Secretary General DonMckinnon said, "There was a turnout of less than 20 percentand no participation of major political parties. It is justnot credible". The Commonwealth s criticism followed thesharp reactions of India, USA, UK, EU and Japan to themunicipal polls.
Vice-chairman of the Council ofMinisters, Dr Tulsi Giri said, "The international communityincluding India, US, Japan, EU and UK have been lying andtheir comments on the municipal elections are a part of aploy to destabilize Nepal." Dr. Giri said the governmentwould hold Parliamentary Elections in the same manner asthey did for the municipalities. ''The Election Commissionwill call the political parties to participate in theelections and it would set a time frame for them to file thenominations. If they refuse to take part in the elections,the process will still go ahead just like in the municipalpolls,'' he said. Dr. Tulsi Giri has been just like a clownentertaining to audience from the stage put up by the king'shenchmen, and telling the audience funny stories about thepolitics of Nepal. Sometimes, his stories go to such anextent that if they were not jokes then he must me an insaneto say such things.
Former Election Commissioner (EC) ofNepal, Prof. Birendra P. Mishra said that the municipalpolls held on February 8, 2006 were invalid; although thepolls were held pursuant to the existing laws of thecountry; they were invalid because it was against the spiritof the Constitution of Nepal of 1990. Prof. Mishra claimedthat the low voters' turnout in the polls proved that theelection had no public support. He further said that thepolls held without the participation of the major politicalparties could not be legitimate; and the EC instead ofholding municipal elections in such a situation shouldadvise the government to defer the polls. Former Member ofthe Election Commission, Biswhoman Shrestha said that evenif Nepal's law did not clearly state what sorts of electionswould be legitimate, the municipal elections held onFebruary 8 were not legitimate by any standard ofelections.
Leaders of the seven-party alliance said thatthey did not recognize the municipal polls and thedeceitfully elected candidates as genuine people'srepresentatives. They said that most of the votes in theelections were proxy; most of the voters went to poll undercompulsion; the government made the state employeesmandatory to vote. Most of the voters were civil servants,police, army men and their family members. They claimed thatnot more than 5% of the total votes cast on February 8 werelegally recognizable.
Despite the seven-party alliance'sand the international community's rejection of the municipalpolls held by the king's government, Chief ElectionCommissioner Keshav Raj Rajbhandari defended the municipalpolls as a success and valid. Mr. Rajbhandari questionedfrom where the international community drew the rights toquestion the credibility of the municipal elections inNepal. He claimed that the successful municipal electionspaved the way for putting the derailed democratic processback on track, and a step forward to holding parliamentaryelections next year. The Chief Election Commissioner had noanswer to the question how the Home Minister Kamal Thapacould vote in two places - one in Kathmandu and another inHetauda. However, he assured that the EC would look into thereports on a group of people supporting the party of HomeMinister Thapa voted in various polling booths inKathmandu.
The EC held polls for 618 seats in 36municipalities on February 8, 2006. The EC declared allcandidates in the rest of the 22 municipalities electedunopposed although nominations were filed only for abouthalf of the seats of the total 4,146 seats in 58municipalities.
Pro-palace politicians and legal expertsasserted the international community had no right toquestion the legitimacy of the municipal polls held underthe jurisdiction of a sovereign country. They noted that theConstitution of Nepal did not have any provision for thespecific percentage of voters' turnout for the legitimacy ofany election; the polls were the internal affair of thecountry, it was not necessary to get them endorsed by theforeigners and the seven-party alliance; and the EC held themunicipal polls pursuant to the Local Election Act of 1991.One of them even went further to say even the UN Charter didnot allow the foreigners to make unnecessary comments on theinternal affairs of a sovereign country; and they would notdance to the tune of foreigners.
Ministry of ForeignAffairs of the king's government expressed its seriousconcern over the comments of some countries on the recentlyheld municipal elections and termed such comments as totallyobjectionable, unacceptable, and of the double standard ofthe respective countries. The ministry urged the countriesto avoid their double standards of dealing with issues suchas democracy and terrorism. The ministry also asked thecountries to refrain from making such insolent comments onthe matters of the domestic jurisdiction of a sovereigncountry in future. The ministry said, "His Majesty sGovernment of Nepal firmly believes that municipal electionswere a clear popular victory in the fight against terrorthat has derailed democracy for years. The people of Nepalhave indomitably thwarted all attempts aimed at constrainingthe exercise of their fundamental democratic right. HisMajesty s Government of Nepal finds it incomprehensible whysome countries have gone to the extent of deploring themunicipal elections instead of appreciating the sincereefforts made to put the derailed democracy back on trackafter a gap of seven years." The ministry further said thatthe political parties were not debarred from participatingin the municipal polls and were repeatedly asked toparticipate in the polls to establish them through ballots."By putting aside their faith in democracy, they themselvesdecided in advance to actively boycotting the polls andvowed to disrupt the polls at any cost."
Self-proclaimedpresident of the splinter Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP)and Home Minister Kamal Thapa thanked all the people for thetrust and support his party received in the recentlyconcluded municipal elections. Speaking on behalf of theParty, he said, "the RPP pledges to work honestly to realizethe people s aspiration for establishment of sustainablepeace, consolidation of multiparty democracy and the overalldevelopment of the municipalities." His party won the seatsof Mayor and Deputy Mayors in 34 municipalities includingKathmandu, Biratnagar and Pokhara while five otherindependents supported by the RPP won the posts of Mayor;and a large number of RPP candidates for the Ward Chairmenand Members won the elections. RPP President and HomeMinister Thapa thanked all his party candidates whoparticipated in the elections even risking their lives, andthe party workers who worked day and night for electioncampaign.
An independent candidate for mayor of theKathmandu Metropolitan City, Krishna Bahadur Shahi, NepalSamata Party s candidate for Deputy Mayor of the KathmanduMetropolitan City, and spokesperson for the Rastrabadi MilanKendra (RMK) party accused the Election Commission ofkeeping crucial notifications secret from contestingparties, and some of them even alleged that the polls wererigged. In protest against the irregularities, they walkedout of the City Hall, Kathmandu where counting of votes wasongoing. "We have rejected the entire polling processbecause of the irregularities," said Radha Budhathoki,Vice-chairperson of the Nepal Samata Party led by currentMinister Narayan Singh Pun. "We were kept in dark about thechanges made in the Election Directives by the ElectionCommission," Budhathoki said, referring to the newprovisions made in the Election Directives for validity ofvotes. Displaying the correction made by a pen in the ECdirectives, Budhathoki said, "None of our candidates andparty cadres was informed about it earlier." Minister Punwas present there when his party cadres protested againstthe EC in the City Hall. Minister Pun admitted that suchthings were irregularities and said, "The ElectionCommission should have informed about the changes before thepolling date."
An independent candidate for mayor of theKathmandu Metropolitan City, Krishna Bahadur Shahi alsocharged the Home Minister with misusing the governmentmachinery saying, "Home Minister Kamal Thapa has massivelymisused the government mechanism and hired vigilantes tocast proxy votes. It was all done to show high turnout."Royalist Shahi challenged Minister Thapa saying, "If thereare more than 3,200 genuine votes cast in any wards exceptfor the ward no 2, 3 and 4, I will commit suicide."
Theking's government claiming the municipal election a successwhile the seven-party alliance calling it a total fiasco,and the Maoists continuing assaults on the districtheadquarters as a protest against the municipal electionshas made the municipal elections mockery of democracy. Is itnot a lie when the Home Minister says the municipal electionis a success even if only a few people under compulsion cameto the polling stations? The government headed none otherthan the king forced all government employees to participatein the elections. So, most of the government's employeeswent to vote for keeping their jobs. Others went to voteunder pressure and threats of the local pro-palacepoliticians and relatives of the so-called candidates forthe municipal positions.
The state-run media say themunicipal election is a success. They attempted to depict apicture of Nepalis taking part in the municipal electionsuniversally although the voters' turnout on February 8, theElection Day was a lowest. Ignoring the media ethics, thestate-run media became the tools for the king's governmentto propagate the municipal elections as a success, andsupported the authoritarian rulers to make the mockery ofthe democratic process.
The Council of Minister orderedthe municipal elections saying it was a first step towardthe restoration of democracy following the roadmap of theking who killed the democracy on the very inauspicious dayof February 1, 2005. Does anybody believe in the person whokilled democracy, and later said that he had a roadmap todemocracy? Killers can never give life to thedead.
Democracy as everyone understands is the system inwhich the people rule through their opinions. Publicopinions are the main basis for any democratic government tofunction. None of democratic governments can retain powergoing against the people's opinions and desires. The currentking's government has been staying in power ignoring themajority of the Nepalis' adverse opinions on it. Nobodyknows what is the approval rating of the king as nobodyholds a Gallop poll in Nepal. If the seven-party alliance'santi-king rallies, the reactions of the civil society andthe professional organizations to the media restrictionsimposed by the king's government and to the human rightsabused by the Royal Nepal Army are any guide to theguesstimate of the approval rating of the king then it mustbe at the lowest possible.
The king's government imposedthe municipal elections going against the people's desire.The seven-party alliance having 90% seats in the dissolvedHouse of Representatives not only opposed but also boycottedthem and called on all Nepalis for boycotting them. Thegovernment not responsible to the people did not listen tothe people's opinion and continued the preparation for theelections even facing the protest rally and the Maoists'attack on the government institutions at the districtheadquarters, and ultimately held the phony municipalelections.
The Chief Election Commissioner became acampaigner for the government. He called upon all Nepalis togo to polls and exercise voting rights to make the municipalelections a success. Is it not an anecdote that the ChiefElection Commissioner acting as a politician and asking thepeople to go to the election polls and vote? Pursuant to theConstitution of Nepal of 1990, the Chief ElectionCommissioner's job is to hold fair and free elections not tocampaign for the government or any political party. It isnatural for the Foreign Minister and the Home Minister tocall on the people for going to the polls make the electiona success but not for the Chief Election Commissioner.
TheStanding Committee of the Privy Council played a part of theking's political organ. It held its regional conferences tomake the municipal elections a success. Abusing theauthority provided by the Constitution, one member of theStanding Committee of the Privy Council after anotherblasted the leaders of the seven-party alliance for theirstand on the municipal elections.
Taking the king to thedistrict headquarters of the Eastern districts and someother places in the Eastern Nepal before the municipalelections, the flatterers abused the state-treasury and thestate-run media for their benefits. They made the king thinkthat he has the people's support but he did not know thatmost of the people came to see him were either paid by thetaxpayers' money or came under compulsion to cheer him. Withthe heavy turnout of the people to cheer the king as shownon the state-run Nepal TV and as reported by the state-runpress, the king was emboldened to insist on holding themunicipal elections despite the adverse opinions of theinternational community and the boycott of the elections bythe seven-party alliance and the threats of the Maoists. Isit not really a joke played by the flatterers on theking?
The Home Minister had not only bullied thegovernment employees into going to polls but also intovoting for the candidates of his party causing the municipalelections unacceptable even to the pro-palace politicalparties participating in the municipal elections. Puttingall civil society leaders and human rights activists behindbars for holding municipal elections, the Home Minister madethe municipal elections a success, and the mockery ofdemocracy.
Despite all sorts of attempts made by thepro-palace people and the king's government, the municipalelections could not be successful and could not convince theNepalis and the international community of that the king'sgovernment was sincere in restoring democracy through theelectoral process. The election results have been anembarrassment to the government and the Election Commissionas well. Thus, the king's claim to restoring democracy toNepalis through holding fair and free elections had been ahollow claim only.
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Siddhi B. Ranjitkar is a political analystinKathmandu.
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