President Jimmy Carter and a team from the Carter Center’s Democracy Program are in Nepal, monitoring the Nov. 19 national elections.
The tiny country on India’s northern border held a 2008 election after a decade-long, bloody civil war waged by Maoist guerrillas ended the rule of a royal family. Elections were supposed to help deliver the mountainous country a democratically elected government, but there were problems.
The Maoists won decisive victories in the first constituent assembly elected. But fractured political parties and infighting brought the government, which was supposed to write a constitution, to a standstill. A series of coalition governments failed to draft the constitution, and the constituent assembly was disbanded in May 2012. The instability has mired Nepal economically and politically, leading to a deterioration of democratic institutions and effective governance.
Some factions of the Maoist parties called for an election boycott, but voters have turned out in numbers higher than 60 percent, according to early reports.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution emailed President Carter three questions about the election.
Q: Nepal’s political system has been in disarray since the last election. Why should Americans believe this election would make a positive difference?
A: Nepal's Nov. 19 election for a new constituent assembly is the best possible step for this country still recovering from a decade-long civil war. Although the first assembly elected in 2008 failed to draft a constitution, this election is the only way to re-establish a credible body of elected representatives. The Carter Center has maintained a constant presence in Nepal since 2004.
Q: Why should Americans care about what happens during elections in small, still-isolated countries such as Nepal?
A: Nepal is well known to the world for the Himalayas and Mt. Everest, but it also is one of the few countries to resolve a national conflict peacefully. Former rebels have been integrated successfully into the national armed forces, and the main Maoist party has participated in multiparty democratic elections. Nepal also has set a good example by mandating that at least 33 percent of assembly members be women.
Q: Do you believe the Maoist boycott of the election will be successful, and if it is successful, what result will that have on the election’s legitimacy?
A: The main opposition to the polls has been led by a small breakaway faction of the Maoists, and they have used violence in an effort to disrupt the polls and intimidate voters. This effort is not systematic and does not represent the views of the large majority of Nepalis, including Maoists, who have registered to vote and appear to be eager for another chance to elect representatives.
About the Author
