This time last year, leaders of the three major parties were engaged in hectic negotiations on the federal models on the table, the Damocles’ sword of May 27 deadline menacingly hanging over their heads. Four years of endless bickering didn’t bode well, but Nepalis were not hopeless. Many times in the past the same lot of politicians had managed to save the constitutional process from the brink of failure. But this time things were a little different. The Supreme Court had declared that there could be no more extension of the CA; a new constitution was now or never. The feeling on the street was that there would be a tentative agreement, liable to debate and modification in the extended parliament or some other non-CA mechanism. It was felt that politicians would once again salvage the constitutional exercise, for their continued relevance in Nepali politics if nothing else. It wasn’t meant to be.
The four-year-old constitutional exercise would end in a disaster as the CA sank sans a constitution, dashing people’s hopes and throwing the country into a new political and constitutional turmoil, unprecedented in the two and a half century long history of modern Nepal. A thick veil of gloom descended over the country as people started fearing all kinds of anti-democratic upshots of the historic failure of the Nepali political class. The hope that 2069 BS would be a breakthrough year in the annals of modern Nepal had been cruelly extinguished.
The government tried to convey a sense of normalcy. Moments before CA’s dissolution, PM Baburam Bhattarai announced new polls for November 22, 2012, knowing full well that the unilateral decision would not go down well with NC and UML and other forces left out of the last-minute negotiations. It appeared like Bhattarai was ready to bulldoze ahead. When the new poll deadline passed and political polarization deepened, caretaker PM Bhattarai upped the ante by announcing yet another election for mid-April. It seemed the Maoist vice-chair was determined to hang on at the head of the government, come what may. Many feared the Maoist plan to capture state power was being played out right in front of their eyes. So when Bhattarai finally made way for Khil Raj Regmi, there was much relief among the opposition parties, mainly NC and UML, who by the time seemed ready to pay just about any price for Bhattarai’s ouster, even if it meant compromising on the hallowed democratic principle of separation of powers.
But despite this high price, the road to new CA polls has not been cleared yet. The government, its political backers and the Election Commission seem to be working at cross purposes as the announcement of a new election date has been inordinately delayed. All those responsible for prolonging this state of indecision should understand that if the failure to promulgate a constitution in 2069 BS was a body blow for the country, the failure to embark on a new constitutional exercise by the end of 2070 BS could be potentially fatal, with now unimaginable consequences. But there is still time to make amends. For this the political parties and the government must come on the same page on election.
That will help bring the disgruntled forces onboard through meaningful give and take, clearing the way for the announcement of a new election date. If the polls are not possible within June, as seems to be the case now, all the concerned stakeholders must work together to lay the ground for November-December. Nepali people have waited for over 60 years for a constitution through their own representatives since the CA was first mooted.
Although despondent voices are being heard from different quarters, there is as yet hope for a constitution of a federal democratic republic of Nepal through the CA mechanism. What a wonderful opportunity 2070 BS offers to make a new beginning in the long and hard constitutional road. It is our sincere hope that the spadework on new polls starts in earnest without any further ado, starting with the announcement of a new poll date. The start of a new year would be the perfect time to do so. It is with this hope that we would like to wish all our valued readers a very happy and prosperous New Year.
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