It would be needless to call on the political parties to retrain their focus on November 19 now that the festivities of Dashain and Tihar are over and done with. Nor do the Election Commission and the Interim Election Council under Khil Raj Regmi need any such reminder.
Even as the country has been in a festive mood, all these constituencies have been working behind the scenes to get the second CA polls right. Even among common folks, most talks during Dashain and Tihar gatherings centered on electoral calculations: Will UCPN (Maoist) be well and truly humbled this time? How many seats will Nepali Congress gain, if at all? Or will gai upend all electoral calculations? [break]
But this sense of anticipation was tempered by the possibility that the spate of violent incidents in recent times could badly disrupt election. Or that another fractured verdict, which again seems likely, will result in many more years of instability. A sizable section of the populace is also angry, determined not to vote after being bitterly let down by their representatives the last time.
But the majority is still eager to cast their votes, despite the attendant threats. CPN-Maoist has announced a 10-day banda beginning November 11 with the goal of thwarting the vote. How violent will things get in the lead up to November 19? Will the government be able to provide needed security? The best way to allay such fears would be to get a clear commitment from the agitating parties that there would be no violence on election date or during the 10 days of banda. Better still would be to convince them to call off banda and forego all violent activities.
The dash-Maoists have vowed not to use violence on election date, but they have been rather ambiguous. Apparently they won’t touch security personnel, all their disruptive activities targeted at leaderships of big parties. But how far will such disruptions go? Will election candidates be under physical threat? Can’t there be unexpected escalation of violence? There are far too many ifs and buts for common people to feel completely safe to vote.
The best way to ensure free and fair polls is to take the agitating parties into confidence, which can only be done through some kind of a political agreement. UCPN (Maoist) Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal has hinted that some dash-Maoists could be accommodated in the new CA through the 26 seats available for nomination. But any such accommodating arrangement will call for broad political agreement.
We believe such a risk is worth taking, considering the huge cost of leaving out a big force like CPN-Maoist completely out of the constitution making process. A word of caution to the agitating parties too. Although people are frustrated by big parties, they are sure to oppose any violent means to disrupt the election process. CPN-Maoist leaders, we believe, are in tune with public pulse and will not try any hanky-panky that could make them pariahs in the eyes of common Nepalis and international community. Rising level of election-related violence is a worrying sign.
This must not be allowed to get out of hand. While those taking part in the election must play by the rulebook, those who are outside the process must also keep in mind that they too are bound by a duty to the sovereign people.
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