Nepal will have its general elections on November 22. The Constituent Assembly failed to conclude negotiations on a constitution before the deadline of May 28. The process has been limping along with a number of deferments. The interim constitution does not have a provision for elections. Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai’s proposal for fresh elections met with a negative response. Maoist standing committee member Dev Gurung said that the current constitution could be amended to announce elections. Maoists want a prompt solution. Nepali lawmakers who have been fighting over procedural matters could not hammer out a draft constitution. The Constituent Assembly had to be dissolved. A new statute has to be enacted to bring an end to instability in Nepal. Negotiations in the past few months got stuck on the issue of federalism-the number of states that Nepal should have. That issue was later resolved. The second hurdle was the model for state formation. The crisis has escalated with Janjatis and upper caste Nepalis engaged in conflict. The idea that a constitution could be promulgated anyway was found unacceptable.
India is anxiously watching the stagnant progress of Nepalese democracy. Nepal’s political leaders are mired in high stakes brinkmanship. Delhi has made it clear that it has no intentions of intervening in the stalemate. The outside world is impatient with the slow movement after the withdrawal of the UN presence in Kathmandu. The solution has to be worked out by Nepalis themselves.
