The April 2006 popular uprising (Janandolan II) proved to be a watershed event for the democratization of Nepal which started in 1990 with the mass movement (Janandolan I), but was derailed by the royal takeovers of October 2002 and February 2005.
The 18 May 2006 Declaration, which is considered to be a Nepali Magna Carta by the reinstated House of Representatives, accelerated these recent changes.
The exit of the monarchy from the state affairs coincided with the entry into the government of the Communist Party of Nepal, CPN (Maoist), a former insurgent group. Negotiations between the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) and the CPN (Maoist) resulted in several important decisions: the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in November 2006; the promulgation of the Interim Constitution in January 2007; and the formation of the interim legislature and the interim government in March-April 2007, both of which included representatives of the CPN (Maoist). The government announced that Constituent Assembly elections will be held on 22 November 2007.
International IDEA’s Nepal project 2007: Support for Constitution Building Process
Responding to requests from political parties and civil society in Nepal, in November 2006 International IDEA launched a project to support the constitution-building process and lay the foundation for sustainable democracy. The project is to be implemented with national partners, including political parties, and coordinated with UNDP and other members of the international community. The project is supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Kathmandu and the UK government.
Objectives
The key objectives of the Nepal project are to:
- Build the capacity of key political players in Nepal in order to foster an inclusive, participatory and peaceful constitutional process. In this context it will be important to show comparative experience which allows the voice of ordinary citizens to be heard in such processes.
- Initiate dialogue as a means of promoting consensus on constitutional issues such as electoral reforms, federalism and the devolution of power, affirmative action and systems of governance.
- Lay the groundwork for consensus by providing experiences of political bargaining and how to achieve agreement on constitutional options when differences threaten to upset the process.
International IDEA and its partners will provide training and consultation on:
- Constitution making for Constituent Assembly delegates, relevant institutions engaged in supporting this process including the Law Commission, political parties, constitutional lawyers, and leaders of civil society groups. A special emphasis is to be placed on women.
- Consultations about electoral system design.
- Electoral reform and management: to be provided principally using the modules of the BRIDGE training curriculum in collaboration with the Election Commission, UNDP Nepal and IFES Nepal.
International IDEA’s project requires the production of relevant materials on constitutional issues and processes. This will involve the production and translation of materials on electoral systems, federalism, autonomy, affirmative action and systems of governance. (See for example Political Advocacy and Protest in the Peace Process - A Set of Principles for Political Actors in English and Nepali)
A 2007 survey of the Nepalese people’s expectations of constitutional reform will inform each aspect of the project.
A documentary film People’s Constitution has been produced to both inform people about the constitution making process as well as to show the diversity of the country and convey a message about importance of participatory constitution making. The film was produced by Interface for International IDEA.
History of International IDEA’s work in Nepal
International IDEA publications in Nepali:
