elections

Commission on local bodies gives up on deadlines

Local elections: just a memory, Local Politics - Central Power, Stories / , , , , , , , / 0 Comments

Still waiting for the LBRC and the first local election since 1997: local politicians, here in Chitwan.

Ever tried to contact a ministry by email and never get a reply? Well, many have, and now the chairman of the Local Bodies Restructuring Commission (LBRC) has too. Trying for a second time to write the Ministry of Local Development and Federal Affairs to get data on Ilakas – the areas supposed to form the territorial basis of Nepal’s future local bodies – without getting a reply, the LBRC is about to give up on time frames and deadlines. We can’t set a deadline with such lack of cooperation from the government, says an LBRC…

Read story

Local bodies restructuring: hit by major delay

Local elections: just a memory, Local Politics - Central Power, Stories / , , , , , , , , , / 0 Comments

Balananda Poudel, chief of the Local Bodies Restructuring Commission, was just about to release the commission

It’s decided with the new constitution that the VDCs – the local bodies at village level – have to be replaced. But exactly when and how is still unknown. The only certain thing is that there “will be a delay”, says Balananda Poudel, chief of the Local Bodies Restructuring Commission. The new constitution provides for…

Read story

Promising a local election: Thapa does it again

Local elections: just a memory, Local Politics - Central Power, Stories / , , , , / 0 Comments

Deputy Prime Minister, Kamal Thapa, gets to promise local elections twice in two months (in February, then April)

It is business as usual but stunning as always. Once again, a government leader has pledged to hold local elections “soon”. This time, it’s Deputy Prime Minister, Kamal Thapa, who just yesterday promised to hold local elections in November – and that promise can sound hollow considering that two months ago the same Thapa pledged to hold local elections in April! Indeed, since 2002 shifting governments have made the same type of promises at least once a year, only to postpone again and again. Will the government hold local elections…

Read story

We need local elections to rebuild: NRA chief

Local elections: just a memory, Local Politics - Central Power / , , , , , / 0 Comments

Without the cooperation of strong local leaders, getting things done at local kevel often becomes very difficult: village politician

It’s an experience as old as Nepali government, dating back to the Rana regime and the royal rulers before them who often had to struggle to establish a reliable and continuous tax collection system at local level. Without the cooperation of strong local leaders who enjoy a good deal of control with the local people, […]

Read story