Farcical municipal elections intensify political instability in Nepal

The official voter turnout was just 20 percent, compared to 62 percent for the last municipal election in 1997 and 66 percent for parliamentary elections in 1999. Many of those who did vote were officials, military and police personnel who faced dismissal if they failed to do so. “I was forced to vote. I had no choice,” one government worker told the media.

There was also a lack of candidates. The seven major parties, which controlled 90 percent of seats in the parliament before it was dissolved, denounced the poll as a sham and called for a boycott. Of the 4,146 positions up for election, over half had no candidate and many others had only one candidate. Only 15 percent of the posts were contested.

The International Crisis Group (ICC), a Brussels-based thinktank, reported that only 3,255 candidates filed nominations on January 26. “Given the chance two days later, more than 600 candidates withdrew. Many of them were reportedly unwilling candidates in the first place; some complained that their names had been put forward under duress or without their knowledge,” the ICC stated.

The February 8 election took place under a heavy police and military presence, designed to crack down on opposition protests and prevent attacks by Maoist guerrillas. The government ordered the security forces to shoot anyone who tried to interfere with the election. The authorities also banned local and foreign journalists from observing the polling. “We have orders from our high command not to let you in,” said a soldier to a group of journalists at a polling station in central Katmandu.

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http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/feb2006/nepa-f16.shtml