The need for physical distancing during this COVID-19 pandemic has raised the need for innovative campaign methods to be developed by election contestants because conventional campaign methods such as rallies, public meetings, etc. are prohibited in some jurisdictions. Distant and online election campaigning may be seen as restrictive to both contestants and voters alike due to physical and technological barriers that appear. To what degree is this true?
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Nepal became a federal democratic republic following the Interim Constitution drafted in 2007, after a decade-long power struggle between the monarchy, political parties and the Maoist insurgents. Nepal's Election Commission has decentralized carrying out its election activities, with each district and province election office having the power to manage resources for the election in its respective area.
The Summit for Democracy is an initiative headed by the United States Government to discuss how to advance the Summit’s three broad themes: strengthening democracy and defending against authoritarianism; addressing and fighting corruption; and advancing respect for human rights.
International IDEA, with the support from the European Commission, has been contributing to increasing effective evidence-based and coordinated support for democracy across the world through the Supporting Team Europe Democracy (STED) project. Within this project, the Summit for Democracy (S4D) emerged as a unique opportunity to place democracy at the center of the global agenda.
The 22 years old Saraswati Nepali is the mom of two kids and lives approximately five hours' drive (and five hours walk) away from the headquarter of Karnali Province, Surkhet—a place that paid the heaviest of prices in the 10 year-long armed conflict from 1996-2006. Her first son is eight years old, and her second son is four and half years old, almost as old as her term of office as a ward member in Shiwalaya Rural Municipality (RM) of Karnali Province.
Bidi Yolkey Rai, 28, struggles to conduct an online session on the importance of local government committees that deal with Covid-19, the climate impact on agriculture, or road construction. “मलाई सुनि राख्नु भएको छ?” (“Can you hear me?”) She asks from time to time.
“Press the mic there...no no, on your left…”
"Oh, I was speaking all this all alone?” Laughter.
"Would you please mute your mic?”
“I should first know where the mic is!” Laughter.
“Am I audible?”
“Yes, yes, since the time you were scolding someone over the phone…” More laughter.
Indira Oli is the vice-chair of Sanibheri Rural Municipality, West Rukum. Rukum is one of the places of origin of the decade-long civil war (1996-2006) in Nepal.
As a student union representative, she advocated for gender equality in the sector of education and politics. Moreover, the aim to provide equal rights for all economic classes during the civil war with the Maoist group motivated her to run for the elections and to be a part of politics as a women representative.
The Coherence Programme, a co-creation of Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MoFAGA), Department for International Development (DFID, now Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office or FCDO), and International IDEA has recently launched its mentoring support to three more local governments in Lumbini Province of Nepal in partnership with Nitishala Nepal
In 2015, the new Constitution of Nepal established a federal system of governance consisting of three spheres of governments —Federal, Provincial (Pradesh, 7) and Local (Palika, 753)— that exercise the state powers within the ambit of the Constitution and other laws.
Pilot project carves out space for deliberative local governance
In partnership with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), International IDEA’s Coherence Programme in Nepal develops an animated video, titled "Same Budget, Two Stories," on local governance, more specifically, planning and budgeting. The video visualizes two different uses of the same annual budget.
Nepal held local elections in 2017 for the first time in almost 20 years – a critical step set out in the 2015 Nepalese constitution for the implementation of the federal system. For the first time in Nepal, a quota system ensured seats for over 40% women and representation of marginalised communities in the 753 local governments of Nepal. In many cases, however, representation tended to remain cosmetic because of deep-
This question set the tone for the study visit to the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden by a high-level delegation of federal and local government officials from Nepal.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this commentary are those of the staff member. This commentary is independent of specific national or political interests. Views expressed do not necessarily represent the institutional position of International IDEA, its Board of Advisers or its Council of Member States.
On 17 August 2018, International IDEA Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Leena Rikkila Tamang and Antonio Spinelli, Head of Mission for Nepal met with Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon Pradeed Kumar Gyawali in Kathmandu. Discussion covered Nepal’s current political context, and touched upon the journey Nepal has travelled toward consolidation of its democratic system since the signing of the Peace Agreement in 2006.
The year 2017 was significant for elections in Nepal. The nation conducted local elections in May, June and September, as well as provincial and parliamentary elections in November and December. Throughout the local election period, Nepal’s National Election Observation Committee (NEOC) made effective use of International IDEA’s Electoral Risk Management Tool (ERMTool).
The Constitution of Nepal, adopted in 2015, grants women considerable rights—but how can we make sure that the provisions are effectively implemented in the new or amended legal frameworks that are now emerging? This was one of the main issues discussed at the annual Conference of Women Lawyers organized by Nepal’s National Bar Association (NBA) on 1-2 September 2017 in Sindhuli, Nepal.
As part of the ongoing Legal Review Programme, International IDEA and Nepal Law Society (NLS) convened a national-level consultation on 1 September 2017 in Kathamandu, on the Disaster Management Bill presented in the parliament in May 2015, but is yet to be passed given that Nepal is one of world’s most disaster-prone countries, having on a law on this matter would be critical.
For the first time in 20 years, Nepali voters went to the polls to elect their local leaders. Ahead of the third and last phase to be organized on 18 September, here are some fast facts on the Nepal’s local elections of 2017.
1. The local elections forms a key part of Nepal’s transition from a unitary to a federal state.