It was a turbulent week in the “life” of local elections in Nepal last month – as it’s been several times before. On July 8 President Ram Baran Yadav presented the government’s policy programme in parliament for the next fiscal year – 2015-16 – and made clear that “local polls” are a major priority area. […]
It has not really mattered who formed the government, or who was prime minister. Since 2002, when local elections were first due – five years after the 1997 election for the country’s DDCs, VDCs and municipalities – local elections have been postponed as persistently as has the finalisation of the constitution. Official reason? Anything from king Gyenendra’s take-over and the Maoist conflict to growing local corruption and a need to adopt the constitution first. The Election Commission has declared itself ready to organise the election many times. But every time, the government has postponed. Want to recount the recent chapters in this “never ending story”? Check out this overview!
Never since the 1950s has Nepal been without elected local bodies for so long. How long has it been? Well, more than a decade. The last local election was held in 1997, and the popular mandate expired back in 2001/02. So it’s been a while! Since King Gyenendra took power in 2002, and continuously under […]
