Optimism After Nepal's CA Election
Generally Peacefull Voting In Nepal's First Assembly Elections
Optimism both in and outside Nepal on Thursday 10th April as polling is conducted relatively safely throughout the country but results are being anxiously waited for.
Nepal's historic Constituent Assembly elections concluded today (Thursday 10th April) at 5.00pm in the evening local time. Initial reactions are ones of optimism and hope, with a "turnout of voters...estimated to be around sixty percent" (Chief Election Minister Bhoj Raj Pokarel,nepalnews.com) and a marked decrease in violence that had been seen in the run up to the polls.
...And outside Nepal
Former US President Jimmy Carter was in Patan (just outside Kathmandu) today, observing voting procedures and declared he was "very satisfied" with the outcome so far, while a spokesperson from India's Ministry for External Affairs said the election was a "happy outcome" and a "product of the determination of the people of Nepal, with significant contributions by the political parties and the Election Commission of Nepal". (nepalnews.com)
Success in the Kathmandu Valley
In the political centre of the country, the Kathmandu Valley, home to around two million of Nepal's 26.4 million people, no incident of violence was reported during polling in the area's fifteen constituencies. Officials have begun counting votes in the Kathmandu area, where thanks to an electronic voting system, results may be known by the morning of Friday 11th April.
Troubles in Remoter Districts
Although voting in more remote areas passed off peacefully compared with the violence Nepal has recently seen, and the terai plains in the south of the country remained largely calm, there were isolated incidents in western and eastern regions. In Rolpa (where the Maoists' "people's war" began in 1996) the Nepali Congress and Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) demanded re-polling in eighteen stations, claiming that Maoist cadres had obstructed citizens from voting and had also barred rival political representatives from the area. However, in Karnali district, further to the west and on the border with India there have as of yet been no reports of political related violence, reassuring, as the region was considered particularly unstable.
An independent candidate in Sarlahi district in central-eastern Nepal was killed by an unknown gunman, and there have been reports of parties "capturing" booths in various parts of the country, and of clashes between rival cadres. However, the level of violence on polling day reported so far is well below that expected, especially comparing with the number of incidents of previous weeks. As ballot boxes are being bought in from outlying districts to be counted, many Nepalis will undoubtedly be relieved that the first step of the Constituent Assembly elections is over. (bbc.co.uk)
Counting The Votes And Beyond
Results will be released in full within ten days according to Bhoj Raj Pokarel (nepalnews.com), and it is here where tensions may flare. The International Crisis Group, a Brussels based think-tank has warned that: "The behaviour of powerful losers will shape the immediate aftermath" (Times of India, 10th April 2008).
Madhesi and Maoist Problems?
Many will be watching the Maoist leadership anxiously as results come in; elements within the party's ranks have declared that any Maoist defeat will have been engineered by India and the US, and have promised a return to the jungle if this happens.
The madhesi people of the southern plains could also throw a spanner in the works if they feel that they are once again being left out of the political power so long held by the Kathmandu elite. Recent agitations by armed groups in the terai and a fuel blockade were only resolved in February through promises of inclusion through the CA elections, and if the pahadi (hill) government of Kathmandu fails to include the madhesis once again, it is probable several armed groups will resort back to armed struggle.
Add to this a King who still commands loyal sections of the army and whose intentions are still largely unknown, and the next ten days in Nepal could become very tense indeed.
