Nepal Goes to the Polls

Despite protests, boycotts and unrest throughout the country, many Naplis were determined to elect a government.

Nepal will be voting Thursday for an assembly made up of 601 members and will become the new parliament that will most likely depose the ruling monarchy in favor of a constitutional democracy. This was a key component in a deal reached with Communist Maoist rebels who have wrought havoc on Napal for 10-years.

As this small South Asian nation wedged between China and India embarks on a historic election, many are braced for the outcome. On the eve of elections, violence spread throughout the country resulting in seven dead and the AP reporting “at least one protester and six former rebels [killed] in separate clashes.”

Polling Suspended in Area Where Candidate Was Killed

From The Press Association…

Surket district decided to suspend the polls after Rishi Prasad Sharma, a candidate of the Communist Party of Nepal United Marxist Leninist, was gunned down, according to election official Binod Kumar Pokhrel.

A new polling date will be chosen in about a week for the constituency in Jahare Bazar town, where Sharma was killed, Pokhrel said. The election will be held in other areas of the district where there has been no violence, he said.

A curfew has been imposed in the area, about 310 miles west of the capital, Pokhrel said, adding the situation was still tense.

Police said they have no suspects in the death of Sharma, whose communist party is one of the three main election contenders.

Meanwhile, the King Urges Calm

King Gyanendra, who is considered to be a godlike figure to his supporters, is most likely to be forced out of power following elections. He called for calm and has expressed his support of Thursday’s elections.

From South Africa’s The Times…

“It has always been our desire to ensure that under no circumstance are the nation’s existence, independence and integrity compromised,” said Gyanendra, the big loser of a peace deal with Maoist rebels that ended a decade of civil war.

“We call upon all adult citizens to exercise their democratic right in a free and fair environment,” he said in a rare statement.

Despite the encouraging words, many were not buying its genuiness.

More from The Times…

Bhasker Gautam, a political analyst and author, said that the king’s message was “an attempt to give the impression that he is in favour of democracy.” “He is trying to retain and expand his political space by attempting to show he is concerned about common people,” Gautam said.

Explore posts in the same categories: Asia, Elections, India, Maoist rebels, Nepal, South Asia

Tags: Communist Party of Nepal United Marxist Leninist, Elections, Jahare Bazar, King Gyanendra, Maoist rebels, Nepal, Rishi Prasad Sharma, South Asia

You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.