Communists Win Majority (Good Idea.)

Maoist Leader Prachanda



Election results are coming in from all over the country and by a considerable number the Maoists (Communist Party- Nepal) are leading in seats. The seats are for the Constituent Assembly- the body that will draft a new constitution for the country and determine the democratic (??) framework of the government. It was a shock to many people that the Maoists, the initiators of a decade long war in Nepal that killed over 13,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands, were victorious. It is scary to think about how they will wield this new power in the name of the people. It is all the buzz in the country that the Maosists have defeated the normally dominate Nepali Congress. This is a sign that people want to see change. They voted a party that they think will help change the country for the better, but in doing so, they have voted for a party that has little experience in mainstream politics and frankly, speak as if they have lost their minds.

They promise gold and property to the poor, but their plan to make good on that promise is to steal possessions from the rich to give to the poor. They have been doing it for ten years and now that they have a majority in the Assembly I doubt things will change. Maoists will show up at your door, blindfold you and remove you from your house. They will hold you for ransom and once your family pays, they will strong arm them out of their house and will declare it "property of the people." They have been terrorizing the people almost daily for the last ten years. From extortion to forced "donations" to violence and murder. So you can imagine how incredible their win in this election really is. For us, it is an ironic twist at the end of ten years of instability and fear. At the end of the day it was an election of the people for the people, so this is what the Nepali people desire. Their hopes and aspirations now lie in the hands of people who only know the power of aggression. As Nepalis say, "Lets see."

(Ok, no more political talk on this blog)

The People Have Spoken

We are happy to report that yesterday’s elections went great- better than we could have hoped for! Although voter turn out was only 60% and four people- including an independent poll candidate were killed in poll-related violence, the polls were held successfully and security forces created safe and free voting conditions for the people. (Various reports from far flung villages are saying that ballot booths were captured and votes were cast illegally by Maoist cadres. The generally peaceful voting conditions in the city, Kathmandu, varied from the ground realities in the Terai and other fear-stricken communities throughout the country).

We walked up into the hills to visit some of the polling stations and observe Nepalis in one of their proudest moments as citizens. Smiles abound. Vehicles were not allowed to ply roads for a 24 hour period so the roads were clear; the noise and air pollution that normally plagues the city was non-existent as people walked to their designated polling sites. The polls that we saw were outside under tents at either schools or halls. People lined up starting at sun break to cast their votes. Each voter stepped behind a covered voting booth, much like in the U.S., and marked the party symbol of the candidate they wanted to elect. All parties are designated a symbol, for example, a tree, a sun, a buffalo, the hammer and sickle. Because some voters are illiterate, this is the best way for them to associate the party when they are at the voting booth.

People were overwhelmingly high-spirited. Children were eating ice cream bought from vendors stationed outside the polls, women were dressed in their best saaris and young men were huddled together to talk about the future. The excitement and hope in the air was unmistakable and for us, living here and investing our future in this country, we felt an amazing sense of pride in the people of Nepal. Erin has been here for almost a year and seen two election dates pass to no avail. She has followed the process through her organization and had a personal and professional connection to the political aspects of the elections since she got here last year.

Chills were running down or spines as we witnessed people taking part in an election that some felt may never take place. It was an emotional time for everyone. After all the violence, the fighting, the political power games and the tension between brothers and sisters in Nepal, the people have finally got a chance to make their voice heard. The outcome will be a reflection of the desires of the people, not the government, not outside forces, but the people that will raise their children in a democratic Nepal.

Cheers to the people of Nepal! This is a time to celebrate.

Bombs, Hope and the Nepali Election

The historic elections in Nepal take place tomorrow, April 10th. This is the first election in the country in a decade. International media is all over the place here reporting the rallies, protests, violence and campaign abuses. We have been told to stay inside our homes for 48 hours leading up to the 10th and all of April 11th as a precaution. There are bombs going off all over the city and candidates in different parts of the country are being murdered, injured and intimidated. At least two candidates have been murdered by opposition parties. Voters are being harassed to vote for certain parties and a few of the rouge factions are strong arming voters through violence, extortion and threats. It has been, by democratic standards, anything but a "free and fair election." It is eerily similar to the repressive and disastrous elections recently held in Kenya, East Timor, Zimbabwe and Pakistan.

There are 54 political parties and over 9,000 candidates in 75 districts of the country vying for 601 seats in the Constituent Assembly. This Assembly will write the new Nepal Constitution. This is not a general election. Those voted in will not be members of parliament or executive heads- they will be members of an assembly that will map out the new democratic structure of the country. The country has been transitioning from a monarchy to a democracy since the People's Movement of April 2006. It has been a slow, painful and deadly process so far for the last Hindu kingdom in the world. There has been 240 years of monarchy rule so you can imagine the revolutionary change this will bring about.

It is a tense environment throughout the country- especially in places in the Terai region and regions where Maoist (Communist Party Nepal) have a strong hold. Since the beginning of the election campaigning they have been a part of a slew of human rights abuses. Their leaders have signed commitments not to use violence during the period, but the implementation of these commitments remains to be seen. They go into villages and tell villagers if they do not vote for them they will come back and kill them. They say that they will be using binoculars to see how they vote at the polls and if they do not check the Maoist candidate they will suffer the consequences. The simple, peaceful and uneducated voters in these areas are terrified.

So now we wait. We wait to see what will happen on the 10th. If certain political parties do not win seats, there will more than likely be intensified protests and violence. At this point there is no way these elections can be free, fair or safe for voters. We visited far flung villages in the Terai and the people are skeptical that any party they vote in will help solve their many problems. They lack survival commodities like water, food, education- during election times the candidates sweep in and tell them they will see to their needs if they vote for them. In reality, they will never return to those villages and the promises made will fade away as they have since 1990. These poor and unaware villagers are used as tools and in some cases are bought with pay offs by political parties.

We recently went to the Terai to observe the campaign of a woman candidate in the Mahottari District. She is the only woman candidate up against 19 men (this lopsided ratio is representative of most districts across the country). I have connections with her through the NGO I work for in Kathmandu. We wanted to see the process and be a part of this historic period for women in Nepal and the country as a whole. We had to be escorted by police security as we walked through the villages because some splinter factions of popular parties (basically thugs) are terrorizing and beating up anyone associated with rival parties. We actually met up with one of these groups as we went door to door with the candidate to observe the process. We were told to return to the secure jeep and stay there in case a brawl ensued. Nothing came of the meeting, but the two different political party vehicles, adorned with party flags and supporters, parked side by side for hours. This creates such an uneasy feeling in normally peaceful and docile villages.

We urge you to follow the election in the next few days through the media. The Kathmandu Post online is a good resource: http://www.kantipuronline.com/. We also recommend Al Jazeera online, they cover events in detail: http://english.aljazeera.net/.

The conditions here could change at any minute and we will try to keep you posted on the blog. The outcome of the elections will change the course of history in this incredibly fragile place. Like Nepalis here and abroad, we hope for the better.