by Aditya Man Shrestha
The first-phase poll for the reframed local bodies held on May 14 is a gorgeous success with a high turnout of as much as 73 percent at the polling booths. But the voters were taken aback by the unwieldy length of the ballot paper fraught with psychedelic figures representing the well-known political parties and a motley crowd of independent candidates. Not surprisingly, the rate of invalid ballots appeared pretty high ranging from 10 to 25 per cent in some booths. Nonetheless, the enthusiasm demonstrated by the people even at the remotest corner of the country in casting their votes was remarkable and a matter of high appreciation.
Although the fate of the second-phase poll is still a hanging fire, people look forward with great eagerness to participate in the local election. The coming poll was declared for June 14 but it was rescheduled for June 28 to facilitate the Muslim voters for easy participation after the ongoing Ramjan month. However, the main hurdle to holding the polls in the second phase lies in the Tarai districts where there is a dominance of the agitating Rastriya Janata Party Nepal, a recent coalition of splintered political groups belonging to some of the plain districts of Nepal.
It is a matter of hide-and-seek game the government and the Janata Party are playing for over a year on the issue of the controversial constitutional amendment. The election is not as such the bone of contention. It has however been put at stake owing to the fierce dispute on the proposed amendment. The Janata Party is constantly adamant on its demand to get the amendment approved by the parliament before going to the poll. The government headed by the Maoist leader, former PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal, in the past weeks was seen trying hard to muster a two-third majority in the 595-member parliament in favor of the proposed amendment. He failed to do so. Its last-ditch efforts to coax the Janata Party to participate in the polls subject to assurances to get the amendment through after the poll wasn’t fruitful. The poll will take place under heavy security. But violent clashes are expected and disruption will affect some of the booths. It should be borne in mind that the polling takes place with three layers of security personnel. The booth is guarded by the regular police supported on the second ring by the armed police. The third outer ring is manned by the army. In the case of worst condition developing in the polling booths, bloodshed cannot be ruled out. Nepal is really in a ferment of anxiety on the eve of the election for the remaining local bodies.
Anxiety does not, however, end there. Even if the local polls are held with or without complete success, they are not going to secure the constitutional stability. The federal, secular and republic constitution of Nepal still faces a risk of collapsing as a house of cards if elections could not be held for two more bodies – the federal units and federal parliament before Jan. 21, 2018. There are less than eight months left to meet this deadline. Going by the inter-party squabbling on the increase among the leading three political parties and other regional groups, it is difficult to imagine smooth sailing in the coming days in saving the Constitution and, thus, the newly introduced restructured state of Nepal. What would happen the following day of the failure of the constitutional callings is anybody’s guess. So far none of the political players or anybody for that matter has uttered a single word about it. Even the wildest imagination can become a reality.
It is in this context of uncertainty that the recently held poll has gained extra importance and dimension. After eight months, the local bodies may remain the only valid elected bodies representing the people of Nepal. Beside their responsibility of managing the local affairs of the villages and towns, they may have to shoulder the task of taking care of the state on behalf of the people of Nepal. The constitution has not envisaged the possibility of its own breakdown and, therefore, suggested no way out of missing the deadline set in it. The framers of the Constitution were either overconfident of their success or fools not to foresee an unforeseen situation. In any case, a chaotic rather a cataclysmic condition will emerge in Nepal if the said features were not met.
Normally, the village councils and the municipalities are limited to their set jurisdiction of the rural and urban areas. But under the abnormal circumstance brewing in our country, they will be the only valid officials with a popular mandate and constitutional authority to act on behalf of the state. They should rise to such occasion and shoulder the responsibility of running the country. It will be a new experiment for Nepalese democracy and a new experience for the people of Nepal.
