People power

Published On: June 29, 2017 12:25 AM NPT By: Republica  | @RepublicaNepal


Success of second round 
Many had doubted the feasibility of the second round of local election that had been scheduled in the middle of the monsoon season. Others feared that turnout would be low in Tarai-Madhes regions of Provinces 1 and 5, as local people seemingly had many reservations with the new constitution under which the local elections were being held. Sporadic incidents of violence ahead of the June 28 poll date further threatened to undercut the election’s legitimacy. But despite all these odds, around 73 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots, once again proving the doubters wrong. People of the three provinces that voted in the second phase—be they up in the hilly regions or down in the Tarai plains— said with one voice that they are in favor of finding solutions to existing political problems through the ballot box. This is a stinging rebuke of all the political forces that wanted to foil the polls, violently if need be. Nepali people have once again shown great faith in the democratic process. The great public enthusiasm for the second round must also have made many prospective voters in Province 2, who go to election only on September 18, look on with great envy. 

We sympathize with them. No one has the right to take away or even delay people’s sovereign right to vote. This is why, the second phase election now over, all our major political actors must at once brace themselves for timely election in Province 2. We believe successful holding of local election in six of the seven federal provinces will also lend momentum to all the remaining elections: first the third phase of local election on September 18 and then the provincial and federal elections, all within the constitutionally-mandated January 21, 2018 deadline. Credit must go to all the domestic actors who were involved in the second phase. But we must also not forget the important role of the international community for the success of the second round. After their mixed messages during last year’s border blockade, their unanimous decision to support timely local election in Nepal came as a breath of fresh air. It looks like the international community finally realizes that an overwhelming majority of Nepalis are in favor of timely elections; and that it would be dangerous to put them off under any pretext.  

They must be particularly heartened to see the enthusiasm of people in Tarai districts like Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Kapilvastu and Sunsari, all of which saw over 70 percent turnout in the second phase. It gives a lie to the claim of the protesting Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJPN) that most Madhesis reject the election route without prior constitutional settlement. There can be no more excuses to delay democratic elections, elections that will signal the implementation of the new constitution as well as show the country’s readiness to emerge from its long political transition and to finally move on the path of sustainable economic development. That said, between now and September 18, every effort should be made to take the RJPN into confidence and get it to participate in the third phase. But if all efforts to arrive at a negotiated settlement fail, then, again, democratic elections are the only legitimate way out.  Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the millions of people who voted in the second phase to give their country a definite political course.  

 


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