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Shaping the Wheels..

03 May 2011, Nepal

It was the then Election Commissioner of Nepal who invited CERI (Campaign forElectoral Reforms in India) to start the similar Campaign also in Nepal. Now he hastaken up the position of Chief Election Commissioner of Nepal. The ProportionateElectoral System that Nepal adapted in its yet infant democracy that had wriggled itselfout of the tentacles of monarchy had to find a meaningful place in the new Constitutionof Nepal. The Campaign was supposed to give a concerted thrust in that direction.REDS agreed to start the Campaign also in Nepal and it was launched in theInternational Conference of CERI in Kathmandu at the end of 2009.

However, the wheels of the Campaign in Nepal got deeply stuck in NGO quagmire andfound it difficult to move. Yet the cause needed to be extricated from the quagmire and

the wheels of the Campaign had to be set in motion once again. Though down withHerpes attack, M C Raj decided to make it to Kathmandu, without informing them ofcourse, at the behest of Mr. Neel Kantha Uprety who is the Chief ElectionCommissioner of Nepal and an ardent supporter of CERI.

It was a completely different meeting this time. He had invited in his personal interest 15eminent members of Parliament, Constituent Assembly and one or two NGO leaders.Ultimately 19 of them turned up. Two of the Members of Constituent Assembly wereearlier part of the Nepal delegation in the historic First Round Table of the WorldParliament of Indigenous People organized in Booshakthi Kendra, Tumkur.

All of them are seen perceiving that one of the variants of Proportionate ElectoralSystem will find a place in the New Constitution of Nepal. However, whether it will be aparallel mixed or Mixed Member Proportionate Representation (MMPR) or a PureProportionate Representation System still remains a big question. Many of thosepresent opted for Full Proportionate Representation System. However, some parties inNepal still may opt for the Parallel mixed or MMPR version. The Campaign will have arole to play here. The Campaign will also make it relevant to the people even after theushering in of the new Constitution of Nepal in terms of educating the citizens andelected members on meaningful implementation of electoral system.

Some of the major insights that came up during the discussions were the following:

There are some Marginalized Rights Group officially set up in Nepal and they arefunctioning.

There is a widespread claim for Full Proportionate Representation system in manyquarters in Nepal.

Decision on Electoral System is one of the major stumbling blocks in bringing aboutthe new Constitution of Nepal. It shows that Nepal is still struggling to bring about avery healthy democracy.

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There was a felling among the participants that some of the Committees set up bythe government have ended up more as NGOs instead of being rights groups. Thatposes a problem.

Three dimensions, if not four, that are significant in the emergence of Nepal towardsmeaningful democracy are:

1. Federal Structure2. Electoral System3. Forms of Government

If we succeed in these we are to have

Balanced Power Relationship and

Appropriate Control over Resources- This Campaign should not be another NGO but it should be a Forum- Significant support is needed in Nepal for multiple researches as it has

been done in the process of designing the process of CERI in India

- There is need for a National Coalition for Full ProportionateRepresentation system of election.

- This Campaign should pave the way for the emergence of a South AsianForum for Electoral Reforms (SAFER).

- We should not keep the same name. Instead we must find a new name forthe Campaign

- Even within the Proportionate Representation system of election theremust be appropriate compensation for past exclusions

- The Campaign in Nepal need not be guided from India. It should be a fullyNepal owned Campaign.

The meeting then set up a Steering Group to carry forward the Campaign and allothers who attended the meeting on 03 May will continue to be the AdvisoryCommittee of the Campaign in order to avoid legal complications.

Steering Group

1. Mr. Amrit Bishwakarma Coordinator

2. Ms. Ang Dawa Sherpa

3. Ms. Shanti Jirel

4. Ms. Shanti Devi Chamar

5. Mr. Jitendra Sonal

6. Mr. Suvash Darnal

7. One Member from Muslim community (to be identified)

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8. One Member from Jan Jati Pratistan (to be identified)

The Steering Group met in the evening of the same day separately and identified aname for the Campaign. The name is:

RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY FOR ELECTORAL REFORMS NEPAL (RAER)

The Steering Group has also decided to go ahead with organizing a NationalConference on Electoral Reforms within the next two months. It was decided that moreCampaign strategies will be worked out in the light of all the findings in the NationalElectoral Reform Conference of Nepal.

Note: This report is prepared out of my personal notes. Most people made their pointsin Nepali. I do not even know Hindi. However, I have made my notes out of what Iunderstood and from what some members spoke in English. I am sure to have missedsome points and request the honourable members from Nepal to remind me if I have

left out some crucial points - Raj