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NDI has been working in Nepal since 1994 to strengthen the country’s democratic processes. In recent years, the Institute has conducted voter and civic education programs to promote citizen understanding of and involvement in the political sphere, supported anti-corruption efforts, carried out nationwide public opinion polling, and conducted programs to increase the political participation and effectiveness of local women leaders and activists. The Institute has initiated programs to promote consensus building between parties, strengthen political party leadership and governance, and encourage civil society and media oversight of the political process.
Currently, NDI works to strengthen political parties and the electoral and legislative process in Nepal through political party development assistance, promoting citizen oversight of the electoral process, and supporting efforts to strengthen the constituent assembly. The program builds on NDI’s institutional knowledge in democratic development and on long-standing working relationships with Nepali political and civic leaders.
Political Situation
Nepal’s 10-year civil war came to a close with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) by the government and the Maoists in November 2006. For the first time in nine years, Nepal held elections in April 2008 for the constituent assembly, which was charged with drafting a new constitution by May 2010. All major parties contested, including the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists (UCPN-Maoist) and new parties from the restive Terai region. Defying predictions, the UCPN-M emerged as the largest party in the constituent assembly with 38 percent of the seats, and party leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal was elected prime minister in August 2008. The Assembly abolished the 240-year-old Hindu monarchy and declared Nepal a secular republic.
The constituent assembly, which also functions as an interim parliament, faces several challenges: severe unrest in the southern plains of the Terai; high expectations for political inclusion by historically marginalized groups; and the need to negotiate new political arrangements after a socially and politically destabilizing civil war. Tensions came to a head in early May 2009 when orders to integrate the Maoist People’s Liberation Army with the Nepal Army, as called for in the CPA, were ignored by then army chief of staff, General Rookmangud Katawal. On May 3, 2009, Prime Minister Dahal’s order to fire Katawal was overruled by President Ram Baran Yadav, who instructed the general to remain in place. Prime Minister Dahal resigned the next day. Following this development, the second and third largest parties in the Assembly, the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), formed a coalition government with 19 other smaller parties. On May 23, 2009, CPN-UML senior leader Madav Nepal was elected prime minister. However, changes in the government leadership failed to lead to a breakthrough in the constitution drafting process and the parliament failed to approve a new constitution by the May 31, 2010, deadline. Instead, the ruling parties and the UCPN-M agreed to extend the constitution drafting process for one year until May 2011. Bowing to pressure from the opposition and as a result of continued political stalemate, Prime Minister Nepal agreed to step down from his position in June 2010. This was followed by seven months of deadlock, during which the parliament, and in particular the three major parties, failed to elect a new prime minister. A compromise was finally reached between the CPN-UML and the UCPN-M in February 2011 when the two parties agreed to elect the CPN-UML’s Jhalal Nath Khanal as the new prime minister.
Current Activities
NDI is currently working to strengthen political parties and support the electoral and legislative process in Nepal. This is achieved through political party development assistance, strengthening the capacity of citizen oversight of the electoral process, supporting the institutional strengthening of the constituent assembly (CA), and improving the capacity of CA members to address constituent needs. As part of this process, the Institute is consulting with political party activists on the local and national level to assist them in their citizen outreach, party-strengthening and coalition-building efforts. NDI has reached out to members of all major parties, including the Maoists, CPN-UML and Nepali Congress, as well as regional parties representing Madhesi and other marginalized groups. NDI is also building on its previous work in Nepal to strengthen the capacity of the constituent assembly and the successor parliament. Program activities are designed to enhance the technical capacity of the legislature and begin to broaden and deepen public participation in legislative processes, during and beyond the current interim parliament. The Institute will work with legislative and government bodies to provide technical assistance toward effective committee work, a parliamentary internship program, and – following the elections – a new member orientation program for the successor parliament. Meanwhile, NDI is continuing its support of the Inter Party Women’s Alliance to strengthen the ability of women parliamentarians to more successfully represent their districts and deliver constituent services. Among other projects, the Institute is assisting in the creation and implementation of district-level, multi-party constituent service offices for women CA members.
Past Programs
NDI has worked in Nepal since 1994 to strengthen citizen engagement in the political process. In recent years, the Institute has conducted voter and civic education programs to promote citizen understanding of and involvement in the political sphere, supported anti-corruption efforts, carried out nationwide public opinion polling, and conducted programs to increase the political participation and effectiveness of local women leaders and activists. The Institute has implemented programs to promote consensus building between parties, strengthen political party leadership and governance, and encourage civil society and media oversight of the political process.
The Institute has pursued this goal through pioneering civic education programs, conducting public opinion polling, supporting the election commission and other groups to master election law, and training political party leaders on organization and leadership skills. From 1997 to 1999, NDI helped parties train more than 4,000 female candidates to run and serve as local elected officials.
From 2001 to 2004, NDI assisted parties to develop women leadership training seminars, with almost 11,000 candidates participating. And in 2006, NDI facilitated the creation of the Multi-Party Women’s Caucus (later called the Inter Party Women’s Alliance) to campaign for women’s issues within political parties and across Nepal.
For the constituent assembly elections held on April 10, 2008, NDI assisted Democracy and Election Alliance Nepal (DEAN) to train and deploy more than 9,000 non-partisan pollwatchers. NDI also trained some 1,000 master trainers from political parties, who in turn trained local party workers to serve as party polling agents. In the remote Karnali region, NDI ran civic education programs to provide information about democracy and the electoral system, working through thousands of village-level programs organized by local political party, media and civil society activists.
In 2009, NDI completed a program with the World Food Program to conduct civic education in 28 districts. The program worked with a local civil society organization to increase the capacity of food aid recipients to participate in the political process. With funding from the Canadian International Development Agency, NDI also completed a program to strengthen the Inter Party Women’s Alliance’s (IPWA) ability to advocate for increased rights and participation in the political process as well as open district offices.
Funding
NDI programs in Nepal have been funded by the National Endowment for Democracy, the United States Agency for International Development, the United States Department of State, the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom, the Canadian International Development Agency and the World Food Program.
Selected Publications
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Report on Community Dialogue For Women Constituent Assembly Members, August 2010
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Report on Focus Group and Survey Research, Oct. 2006
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“The Need for Reconciliation is Immediate,” Statement by Senator Thomas Daschle, July 27, 2005
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Testimony before Congressional Human Rights on Recent Development in Nepal, May 25, 2005
Contact Information
For more information about these programs, use our contact form or contact:
Kathmandu
Mark Wallem, Senior Resident Director
+977 1 4442 079
Washington, D.C.
Marjan Ehsassi, Program Manager
(202) 728-5405
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