Shaping the Wheels…..

03 May 2011, Nepal

It was the then Election Commissioner of Nepal who invited CERI (Campaign for
Electoral Reforms in India) to start the similar Campaign also in Nepal. Now he has
taken up the position of Chief Election Commissioner of Nepal. The Proportionate
Electoral System that Nepal adapted in its yet infant democracy that had wriggled itself
out of the tentacles of monarchy had to find a meaningful place in the new Constitution
of 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 the
International Conference of CERI in Kathmandu at the end of 2009.

However, the wheels of the Campaign in Nepal got deeply stuck in NGO quagmire and
found 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 with
Herpes attack, M C Raj decided to make it to Kathmandu, without informing them of
course, at the behest of Mr. Neel Kantha Uprety who is the Chief Election
Commissioner of Nepal and an ardent supporter of CERI.

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

All of them are seen perceiving that one of the variants of Proportionate Electoral
System will find a place in the New Constitution of Nepal. However, whether it will be a
parallel mixed or Mixed Member Proportionate Representation (MMPR) or a Pure
Proportionate Representation System still remains a big question. Many of those
present opted for Full Proportionate Representation System. However, some parties in
Nepal still may opt for the Parallel mixed or MMPR version. The Campaign will have a
role to play here. The Campaign will also make it relevant to the people even after the
ushering in of the new Constitution of Nepal in terms of educating the citizens and
elected 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 are
functioning.
• There is a widespread claim for Full Proportionate Representation system in many
quarters in Nepal.
• Decision on Electoral System is one of the major stumbling blocks in bringing about
the new Constitution of Nepal. It shows that Nepal is still struggling to bring about a
very healthy democracy.
• There was a felling among the participants that some of the Committees set up by
the government have ended up more as NGOs instead of being rights groups. That
poses a problem.
• Three dimensions, if not four, that are significant in the emergence of Nepal towards
meaningful democracy are:
1. Federal Structure
2. Electoral System
3. 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 Proportionate
Representation system of election.
- This Campaign should pave the way for the emergence of a South Asian
Forum for Electoral Reforms (SAFER).
- We should not keep the same name. Instead we must find a new name for
the Campaign
- Even within the Proportionate Representation system of election there
must be appropriate compensation for past exclusions
- The Campaign in Nepal need not be guided from India. It should be a fully
Nepal owned Campaign.

The meeting then set up a Steering Group to carry forward the Campaign and all
others who attended the meeting on 03 May will continue to be the Advisory
Committee 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)

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

The Steering Group met in the evening of the same day separately and identified a
name 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 National
Conference on Electoral Reforms within the next two months. It was decided that more
Campaign strategies will be worked out in the light of all the findings in the National
Electoral Reform Conference of Nepal.

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