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Why vote? This is the question many people are asking on the eve of the May 13 local election. Pratik Ghimire of ApEx put the same question—plus a few more—to Ila Sharma, former commissioner at the Election Commission.

Why is local election important?

It is important to decentralize the centralized power. Without local elections, there won’t be any local governments, which will deprive us of government services at our doorsteps. It is also crucial for local development because the respective villages know what model of development is necessary in their areas, not Kathmandu.

Why should people vote in local elections?

By voting we elect our representatives so that they can govern us. If we don't vote, there will be no grounds to complain against the incompetence of the ruling representatives. So to send progressive candidates, who you think can bring about meaningful reforms in your area, you must vote.

What is the historical trajectory of voter turnout in Nepal?

Studies suggest that the voter turnout of developing countries is better than that of developed countries. We have a similar case here. We have a good voter turnout. People in developing countries are mostly fed up with the political situation and incompetence of their leaders. This encourages them to vote and try alternative leadership.

What reforms do you advocate in our electoral system?

There are a lot of things. We can write a book on it. But the important ones are curbing electoral expenses, guaranteeing inclusiveness, and adopting an electronic voting system.

Our constitution says that there should be at least one female candidate for the post of mayor/chairperson or deputy mayor/vice-chairperson. But it also says, this provision only applies if a single party fields candidates for both the posts—and it does not apply to a coalition of parties. This has significantly undercut the participation of female and other marginalized communities.

Likewise, if electronic voting were introduced, no vote would be wasted.

Also, there are issues of incorporating ‘none of the above’ (NOTA) voting option on ballot papers and ensuring voting for Nepali immigrants. 

How would you compare Nepal’s grassroots democracy, say, with the same in the rest of South Asia?

On paper, we offer a lot of promise. But in practice, there are many things that need to be improved. Yet, compared to other South Asian countries, we are doing well as our grassroots democracy is more powerful than that of India or Bangladesh.

Are the people of Kathmandu in a mood for change or will they continue to plump for candidates from established parties in the upcoming local elections? The capital city, the country’s most educated place, supposedly has the most discerning voters in the country, who will choose their mayors and deputy-mayors based on their personal qualities rather than their political affiliations.

Political experts are not so sure. For them, the contest in Kathmandu will continue to be determined by those voting along partisan lines. So even though Keshav Staphit, the CPN-UML candidate for mayor, is now implicated in multiple sexual harassment cases, he is still the frontrunner.

“I would have guaranteed Sthapit for mayor had he not been charged with #MeToo,” says political analyst Bishnu Dahal. Neck and neck with Staphit will be Srijana Singh of Nepali Congress. The wife of Prakash Man Singh, a powerful Congress leader, is predicted to brush off charges of nepotism.

But then independent candidates like Balen Shah (structural engineer, rapper) and Bibeksheel Sajha’s Samikchya Baskota (lawyer) could have something to say about that. Any way you look at it, Kathmandu’s mayoral race promises to be a riveting affair.

Full story here: Evaluating the main mayoral candidates of Kathmandu

With just days to go for the May 13 local elections, candidates have ramped up their campaigns in all 753 local units across the country. The race for the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City is particularly charged. Kathmandu’s voters want a competent leader, someone who can tackle everything from waste management to traffic congestion to poor service delivery. So who is the right person to lead the metro? Here is your guide to the strengths and weaknesses of top contenders for the post. 

Balen Shah

·   Independent candidate

·   Born on 27 April 1990 in Kathmandu

·   Graduate in civil engineering, post-grad in structural engineering

Keshav Sthapit

·   CPN-UML

·   Born on 14 September 1959 in Kathmandu

·   Under-Grad in Humanities

Madan Das Shrestha

·   Rastriya Prajatantra Party

·   Born on 27 April 1948 in Kathmandu

·   (Didn’t want to disclose his academic qualification)

Srijana Singh

·   Nepali Congress

·   Born on 25 August 1962 in Gorkha

·   Graduate in economics, post-grad in sociology

Samikchya Baskota

·   Bibeksheel Sajha Party

·   Born on 8 Feb 1984 in Panchthar

·   Graduate in constitutional law (LLB), post-grad in US legal studies (LLM)

‘The race is between Sthapit and Singh’

Bishnu Dahl, Political analyst

Kathmandu Metropolitan City, being the most educated metropolis, bucks the national electoral trend. Residents of Kathmandu study each mayoral candidate closely before casting their ballots. The positive and negative sides of individual candidates hence make a difference, irrespective of their party affiliations.

If you closely follow voter demography, there are now as many indigenous voters as immigrant ones. This is not a good position to be for Keshav Sthapit or Srijana Singh. Yet the other candidates like Balen Shah, Samikshya Baskota, and Madan Das Shrestha won’t be a threat to them. They have not been able to convincingly present themselves. Social media has backed Shah, but what matters is the 300,000-strong vote-bank of Kathmandu.

I would have guaranteed Sthapit for mayor had he not been charged with #MeToo. Also, the recent incident at the National College which brought him under the radar of the Election Commission could hamper his chances. But along with Singh, he is still a major contender. This race is essentially between Singh and Sthapit.

Balen Shah, an independent mayoral candidate for Kathmandu Metropolitan City, is a rapper and structural engineer. While Shah is certainly popular among young Nepalis, it remains to be seen how he fares in the May 13 vote. Kathmandu has almost 300,000 voters and Shah’s main competition is said to be against Srijana Singh of Nepali Congress and Keshav Sthapit of CPN-UML. Samikshya Baskota of the Bibeksheel Sajha Party, Madan Das Shrestha of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, and two other independent candidates—Sushil Thapa and Sunil Sayami—are also in the fray. With the mayoral race in Kathmandu heating up, Pratik Ghimire of ApEx talked to Shah. 

What inspired you to contest local elections? 

As an engineer, I have worked with many municipalities on various projects. This gave me a chance to analyze local bodies’ budget structures and works. Almost 70 percent of a local government’s budget is engineering-related, but that isn’t utilized fully due to lack of knowledge, vision, and incompetence. I realized I could better utilize the budget than most other candidates in question. This is why I registered my candidacy. 

Explain your key agendas for a better Kathmandu. 

We will focus on the basics that a metropolitan city must have. They are, primarily, health (physical and mental), education, and solid waste management. We will also work on drinking water, heritage, transport, tourism, open spaces and greenery, insurance, security, etc. 

We have planned an ‘idea bank’ where the public can bring entrepreneurial ideas and our government will help them financially. Similarly, our local products will get 10-20 percent space in marts and shopping malls. 

For drinking water, we will rely on the traditional-scientific way of water harvesting. For waste management, a dedicated team will be set up to oversee waste segregation. Nearly 70 percent of the solid waste Kathmandu generates is organic, which could easily be turned into organic fertilizers. We have clearly mentioned all these plans (as well as the underlying processes) in our manifesto. 

Photo: Saroj Baizu

Do you have any plans on registering a political party? 

No. While I do believe in a multi-party system, I also believe that local bodies don’t need political parties. Elected representatives should be busy working for people’s welfare. So a social reformer with a proper vision and action plan should lead at the local level. The third tier of the federal government should be free of political parties.  

How do you view your rivals in this race? 

We all know they have no proper agenda, as has been proven by recent mayoral debates and public interactions. They talk about beautiful Kathmandu, but they are yet to explain what they mean by ‘beautiful? 

I, on the other hand, have analyzed real data, shortlisted problems, researched applicable solutions, and prepared a blueprint for everything. We are talking about the processes that will give us results. 

If you win, what changes can we expect in Kathmandu after five years? 

The basic but notable things. When you step out of your house, you have to face dozens of hassles such as unsafe roads, traffic jams, and pollution. These things contribute to your mental fatigue. Similarly, community schools will prioritize children’s skill development and offices will adopt digital technology for swift, efficient services. If I win, you will see a hassle-free Kathmandu Metropolitan City. I will implement tried and tested plans for this city. 

Video interview (Engineers Vlogs with Balen Shah) here.

Preparations are in full swing for the May 13 local-level elections. Political parties and candidates are out barnstorming while the Election Commission is doing its part to conduct a free and fair vote.

For political parties, particularly those in the Nepali Congress-led ruling coalition, these past few weeks have been hectic. For days, the ruling parties were busy divvying up seats as they had decided to forge an electoral alliance against CPN-UML, the main opposition. 

The ruling Congress, CPN (Maoist Center), CPN (Unified Socialist), and Janta Samajwadi Party have nominated common candidates in most local bodies and are competing individually only in a few places.

Similarly, UML, too, has cobbled alliances with small opposition parties like Loktantrik Samajwadi Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party in many places. The main opposition, however, has called dibs on mayoral seats in almost every metropolis, sub-metropolis and municipality.

The electoral alliances have also led to resentment and dissatisfaction in some parties.

As a result, many local politicians have registered themselves as rebel candidates after being denied tickets from their parties. For instance, Jagannath Paudel of Congress has filed his candidacy against Renu Dahal of Maoist Center in Bharatpur Metropolitan City. Likewise, in Pokhara Metropolitan City, Nanda Tiwari and Hrishi Sapkota of Congress have stood against the Unified Socialist candidate, Dhanraj Acharya.

There are also several independent youth candidates this time. Rapper and structural engineer Balen Shah is running for the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Similarly, Ganess Paudel has filed an independent candidacy for Pokhara Metropolitan City’s mayor. Young and independent candidates are also contesting at the municipal level.

Among the mayoral aspirants this time are also some provincial lawmakers. They have resigned as assembly members to contest the May 13 elections.

According to Saligram Sharma Paudel, spokesperson of the Election Commission, 137,043 people have filed their candidacies for 35,221 posts this time. 

Of them, 3,276 are for mayor, 2,009 for deputy mayor, 3,264 for chairperson, 2,296 for vice-chairperson, and 32,217 for ward chairperson. Similarly, 23,521 candidacies have been filed for women members, 21,221 for Dalit women members, and 49,239 for ward members.

Kaike, Charkatangsong, and Shey Phoksundo rural municipalities of Dolpa district have already elected their chairs and vice-chairs unopposed after only Unified Socialist filed its candidacy. 

There are over 10,000 polling stations all over Nepal. The Home Ministry has categorized around 3,000 of them as ‘very sensitive’ and 4,000 as ‘sensitive’ and is preparing to mobilize security personnel accordingly.

Nearly 100,000 temporary police have been hired to assist the 60,000-strong Nepal Police for election security. The Armed Police Force will also be deployed on patrol, and to secure election offices. Similarly, Nepal Army soldiers will also be involved in various poll security duties, including securing airports and prisons.

Around 2,000 officers of the National Investigation Department will be mobilized to collect vital security information and coordinate with the police forces.

‘Preparations are on track’

Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya

Chief Election Commissioner

The commission is responsible for meeting almost every logistical election need. So we need to get many things right to conduct free and fair elections. Due to the many posts at the local level, managing ballot papers is a little tricky. Yet, we are on schedule and everything is on track. 

We are in the process of finalizing candidates and giving them election symbols. 

Ballot papers are also being printed, and other necessary materials are being sent to respective election offices. We are playing our part and I request other stakeholders to do the same, especially the political parties, whom I request to adhere to the election code of conduct.

Over 17m potential voters. A touch above 137,000 candidates. More than 35,000 positions up for grabs. The May 17 local elections will be a gargantuan undertaking any way you look at it.  

The ruling alliance of Nepali Congress, CPN (Maoist Center), CPN (Unified Socialist), and Janta Samajwadi Party have nominated common candidates in most local bodies.

The main opposition, CPN-UML, has also stitched alliances with small parties like Loktantrik Samajwadi Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party in some places, even though it is contesting major mayoral and municipal seats on its own.

There are also many promising independent youth candidates this time. Rapper and structural engineer Balen Shah, for instance, is running for mayor of Kathmandu. Ganesh Paudel, another independent, has filed candidacy for mayor of Pokhara. “Such youth candidates give local elections a breath of fresh air,” says civil society leader Shyam Shrestha.

Some provincial lawmakers are also in the mayor and chairperson race. Provincial lawmakers resigning to contest posts at the rural municipality level shows “how important the third tier of federalism has become,” says Shrestha. This, again, is “something to be celebrated”.  

But Shrestha is troubled by the ‘coalition culture’. So is Krishna Pokharal, a political scientist. “Even though there are plenty of independent candidates in the fray this time, electoral alliances have greatly reduced the options for the voting public,” he argues.   

Yet Pokharel still expects many new faces to emerge from the May 13 polls. In the previous local-level by-elections in 2019, people had thrown out many incumbents. “If they could so harshly evaluate their representatives in such a short time, I am expecting an even closer scrutiny this time.”

One thing is for sure: we are in for plenty of nail-biters. 

Also read: The May 13 vote at a glance

Covid-19 cases are surging in different states of India. The country’s positivity rate, which indicates the spread of the disease, has gone up to three percent from 0.5 percent—within a week. As Nepal shares a 1,850km-long open border with India, there is a risk of a coronavirus resurgence here as well. With local-level elections knocking on the door, political campaigns and rallies could also fuel the spread. Pratik Ghimire of ApEx talked to Dr Anup Subedee, infectious disease consultant at Medharma CliniX. 

Can we predict the next covid wave in Nepal based on what is happening in India?

Cases in India directly impact Nepal, as we saw in the previous waves. But till this point, the new covid cases in India are yet to be thoroughly examined. So it is difficult to predict what will happen. Indian officials claim no new variant has been detected, but I doubt there has been enough research.  

Is the next wave the most likely scenario in Nepal?

If the new cases in India are of the current Omicron (BA.2) variant, there is a low probability of an outbreak, as two waves of a single variant are rare. An increase in new cases is not a new thing, as the covid trend suggests a rise in such cases every few months. This is both predicted and expected. 

Yet, every six months, we have seen a new variant too. If that happens, it could result in the next wave. But again, it is too early to predict because we have little information as of now. 

Could upcoming elections help with the spread of coronavirus? 

Hard to say. But mass demonstrations and political campaigns that took place in Kathmandu during the Delta variant surge had played a key role in previous outbreaks. So elections this time could also have an impact, as there will be more than usual mobility of people. Nepalis working in India will come home to vote. This could lead to the virus reaching various corners of the country. Everything depends on which variant it is—the old one or the new. 

Right now, we don’t have many cases, so there is nothing to panic about. But that also suggests we might not have conducted enough tests. Further, the Health Ministry doesn’t have real data. It is important to fill these gaps because we can’t prepare and fight effectively without real data. 

What do you suggest?

The holding centers and quarantines should be in working condition. We rushed to set up the infrastructure only after the pandemic hit the country. By that time, it was too late. So preparation is important. 

To some extent, our incompetence has also invited trouble. The vaccine campaign looks dormant at the moment. Many people don’t know the current vaccine situation in Nepal. There are eligible people who are yet to get the jabs. Some have refused to take them, but the government should convince them. Also, the vulnerable groups have not gotten their booster doses. Many have not even taken the second dose. 

Again, we have no proper data to track things down. For the current variant, the vaccines that are being given to Nepalis are fine, but there could be better options. The authorities should focus on importing more effective vaccines. 

How long do we need to keep taking booster doses?

Booster doses should be routinely administered unless a vaccine that provides lifelong immunity is invented. We should also import the most effective vaccines like Viral Vector (AstraZeneca) and RNA (Moderna, Pfizer). Novavax is also effective.

We wrap up our 10-part InDepth series on the Kathmandu-Tarai fast track project on a somber note. The 72.5km expressway comprises 55.5km of road, three tunnels with a combined length of 6.41km, and several bridges measuring a total of 10.59km. The project has been marred by years of delays and cost overruns—and these problems are likely to be compounded in the country’s new economic reality. The army has made a mess of it, handing out crucial bits to dodgy foreign contractors and taking its own sweet time even as it continues to ask for more and more money. 

Five years into the project, only 16.1 percent work has been completed. Land-compensation issues are yet to be settled. Tunnels yet to be cut through. Environmental concerns have been given a short shift. It is hard to be optimistic about the future of this ‘national pride project’ that has already cost the exchequer Rs 25.4bn. 

Either the project has to be scrapped without further delay or the state must ensure it is not pushed beyond its new January 2025 deadline. Our calculations suggest more delays could exponentially increase costs and make the project unviable. Time then for all the concerned to go back to the drawing board.

Full story here.