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Political parties are gearing up for the May 13 local elections and busy selecting candidates for 753 local units across the country. Meanwhile, the Election Commission is also preparing. As the election date gets close, the past functioning of the local bodies is being evaluated and campaign spending is again under discussion. Kamal Dev Bhattarai talked to Ayodhi Prasad Yadav, the former chief election commissioner who successfully conducted the all three ties of elections in 2017. 

What is your impression of the upcoming local elections?

This is a periodic election being held in line with the constitutional provisions. Even though there are contradictory provisions in the constitution and electoral laws, the Election Commission in the end decided to hold the polls before the expiry of the local governments’ term.

Holding elections in a timely manner would help institutionalize the new federal structure. People’s trust in federalism and republicanism will increase. The upcoming elections will further strengthen this political system. 

How do you evaluate the first five years of local governments?

I recently visited some areas of Madhes and talked to common people. Frankly, they were not pleased with the performance of local representatives. Instead of focusing on public services, local representatives seem more interested in securing facilities and luxury for themselves.

In terms of resources, the local units are better equipped now than in the past. But this isn’t reflected in service delivery. There are many anomalies and problems in our society. The local governments haven’t been able to address them in a timely manner.

Most of them haven’t been able to meet the expectations of their local electorates. Some local bodies, however, were unable to work for a full five-year term, as the elections were held in multiple phases. 

How can we improve the performance of local bodies? 

Local governments have been heavily politicized, which has affected their work. To address this problem, we have to elect non-political representatives. Doing so will encourage independent candidates to enter politics. We can adopt a full proportional representation (PR) system in local governments. In many countries, local bodies have non-political representatives.

Political representation in local governments has led to poor public services and added economic burden. If a full PR system is adopted, we can address such problems. The first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system at the local level is creating a lot of problems. 

What is the possibility of vote-rigging in local elections?

During the 2017 elections held under my leadership there were no reports of vote-rigging or fraud. There were some obstructions created by the Netra Bikram Chand-led group, and some political parties were also in protest. But we nonetheless managed to hold the elections in a fair manner.

But now, there is cut-throat competition. Candidate-selection process has become tough. This is because elected representatives get good facilities. More youths are active in politics as they want to get some positions in local bodies. So there is a high possibility of violence at some polling centers. Candidates have already started to influence voters and polling stations. 

Elections have become expensive. How do we minimize electoral costs?

Candidates are spending a lot of money on campaigns. To address this issue, we have to remove the current FPTP system. If we adopt a PR system, it will help curtail election costs. The Election Commission has a ceiling for campaign expenditure. This means the state itself is encouraging parties and their candidates to spend money on election campaigns. Better remove the spending ceiling, which is unnecessary for a campaign that doesn’t last more than two weeks.

To bring change, we should create public awareness. I just returned from my village. There, the political parties and prospective candidates have already started organizing parties to woo voters. They are also distributing “fuel money” to the youths.

Another way of reducing election expenditure is by removing the provision of salary for local representatives.

How do you evaluate your five-year tenure? 

After the elections, we were determined to work as per the spirit of the constitution. We score ourselves 70 out of 100. As Budhanilkantha is a new municipality, formed after the merger of a few former village development committees, we had some extra challenges than other local units. The first thing we had to focus on was setting up the basic infrastructure, as we had no proper office. Among the 18 municipalities in Kathmandu valley, we were the first to have our own administrative building. Also, since we had to transition from a collection of villages into one single town, we had to develop things while keeping the prestige and essence of the Capital city in mind. So I am quite happy with what we’ve accomplished in the past five years.

We focused on five things: good governance, infrastructure development, social development, economic prosperity, and environment and disaster management. 

How did your municipality cope during Covid-19 pandemic? 

We had Rs40 million as a covid crisis management fund. Our main target group was to support daily-wage workers, as they barely had any savings to get by during the pandemic. We assisted them in many ways, sometimes with cash handouts and sometimes with free meals. Even after the pandemic situation became normal, we continued to facilitate the citizens in need by reducing taxes in many services. 

How is your municipality different from others? 

All the 753 local governments are different from each other based on their needs, resources and capacity. Budhanilkantha Municipality was in need of community schools and hospitals and we built them. We also connected drinking water pipelines to every household. It was a project that cost Rs2 bn. 

What have you done to improve service delivery to the people? 

Every day, I meet with around 200 people from my municipality. I sit with them and listen to their problems. I also try to address their concerns as soon as possible. We have tried to make the people feel that their local government is there for them. We look after the concerns of every group and community. We have established welfare clubs for women, children, youths, students, senior citizens and others.

We also help pregnant women by looking after their health and diet and bearing all the expenses. We have also opened government Montessori schools for children. For the youths, we organize various counseling sessions to support their emotional and psychological wellbeing. We have also created employment opportunities for adults and provided health care services to the senior citizens. Altogether, Budhanilkantha Municipality provides 38 kinds of services to the people. I believe we have largely fulfilled the needs of the citizens. 

How is your coordination with neighboring municipalities? 

Being in the Kathmandu valley, there are many things we cannot do alone, like the problem of drinking water, drainage, dumping site, etc. We have to collaborate with the other municipalities and state agencies in most development projects. This has certainly slowed down the pace of our development. In some cases, poor coordination has also led the Nepal Electricity Authority and Nepal Water Supply Corporation to dig up the recently surfaced roads. This is an issue we plan to address in the coming days. As for the coordination with neighboring municipalities, we communicated and collaborated on a need basis for projects like river cleaning, river corridor management, urbanization, waste management, water supply, and security. 

What are your agendas for the upcoming local election? 

In the past five years, we worked focusing on good governance, infrastructure development, social development, economic prosperity, and environment and disaster management. Citizens have witnessed the improvement in these five areas, and they are happy and satisfied with my work. But still there are a lot of things we need to improve. We need a sustainable development plan. That will be my agenda in the upcoming elections. 

Introduction of Budhanilkantha Municipality 

Budhanilkantha Municipality, located in Kathmandu district of Bagmati Province, was formed after a merger of the six former village development committees: Chapali, Bhadrakali, Khadka Bhadrakali, Chunikhel, Mahankal, Vishnu Budhanilkantha, and Kapan on 2 Dec 2014. The municipality has 13 wards. Budhanilkantha is home to important religious sites like Budhanilkantha, Chandeshwar, Rudreshwar, Bhadrakali, Panchakanya, Kapan Bangalamukhi. The famous Kapan Gumba and several other monasteries are also located in Budhanilkantha. 

Besides, rivers like Bishnumati, Rudramati, Dhobikhola, Yagyamati and Chyanekhola also flow from this area. The municipality shares borders with Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Tokha Municipality, and Nuwakot district. 

Message from the mayor 

I thank all the residents and voters of Budhanilkantha Municipality for believing in me for this post. Five years ago, my office had neither the idea nor the basic infrastructure to start the work, as we were a new municipality. But despite all the hurdles, we performed very well. The progress has been witnessed by the local residents.

Still, the local government could not fulfill a lot of things that it had promised before the elections. This was largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Besides, we also had limitations on resources.

Lastly, I would like to request all to vote wisely in the upcoming local elections.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven up global fuel prices. Petrol price in Nepal has reached Rs155 a liter while a liter of diesel costs Rs138. Looking at the current trend, with no sign of a letup in the war, oil prices are expected to further increase. Priyanjali Karn of ApEx talked to Chandan Sapkota, an economist, on Nepal’s oil dependence and the national economy’s future.

How does the hike in fuel prices increase overall inflation?

Twenty percent of our total import is petroleum products. So whenever fuel prices go up, it has a ripple effect throughout the market. Higher oil prices lead to higher transport costs. This, in turn, drives up the prices of goods and agricultural products, again because of high transport fares. And the same applies to airline and public vehicle fares. 

Likewise, plants and factories rely on generators for production if they do not have adequate voltage to operate. They need fuel for this. Increase in petroleum prices, therefore, could also affect their production cost.

Fuel is connected to every industrial sector and to our everyday life, so the increase in its price directly contributes to inflation.

Nepal Oil Corporation has declared itself bankrupt. What is the government role here?

The corporation is a government-owned agency. So, whatever happens to it, the government has to bear the cost. This means that its losses will have to be covered by the taxpayers’ money.

Until 2014, the corporation was at a loss. Later, even when the fuel prices had decreased in the international market, it didn’t decrease the rates in Nepal, raking in additional profits. Still, it has continued to be at loss.

The rate at which the NOC sells petrol is much lower than the rate at which it buys. This has also resulted in an enormous debt. It is up to the government to rescue the state oil monopoly. 

How is the Russia-Ukraine war affecting our oil prices?

Russia produces 12 percent of the world’s oil, and Ukraine 5.2 percent. No other countries can replace what these countries provide to the world. So the Russia-Ukraine war directly affects global petroleum prices.

How can Nepal reduce its dependence on fossil fuels?

The best solution is to opt for a green economic recovery. We have the resources for this too. This is also the right time to transition to a green economy.

To decrease our dependence on petroleum, the government should think of ways to make electricity cheaper. This can be done by improving supply chains and transmission lines, by reducing taxes, and by opening more charging stations. 

This will not only be a better and cheaper alternative to petroleum products but also help our environment.

How do you envision our economy’s future?

Our economy is in a difficult position. Fuel links almost all sectors, and we have too many problems at the same time. And with the elections coming up, economic activities may further slow down. 

Recovering from this loss is a long-term process and a lot needs to be taken into account. Tourism is slowly picking up, but not much compared to the pre-pandemic level. Our private sectors are also weak at the moment owing to high interests on loans. It is hard to have high expectations when it comes to economic prosperity. 

But we have the right ingredients to fix the economy. We have the resources to replace petroleum products. 

Senior CPN-UML leader Bhim Rawal is a fierce opponent of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Nepal compact. Amid protests, the Federal Parliament had endorsed the compact on February 27. Rawal continues to speak against the compact, maintaining that it compromises Nepal’s sovereignty. Priyanjali Karn of ApEx talked to him to solicit his views on the compact and his future plans.  

Despite your strong objection, the parliament endorsed the MCC compact. What next?

In line with our constitutional provisions, we should always keep national interest at the center of our external dealings. Nothing is more important. Without changing its provisions that challenge our national interest, the MCC compact was endorsed in a haste and amid protests. This shows Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other top leaders are not sensitive about our national interest. Additionally, the parliament should function as per the parliamentary regulation, but in the case of compact ratification, it was violated. 

Could you explain how the compact-ratification process was against the constitution?

Article 279 of the constitution clearly stipulates which type of agreement needs the backing of two-thirds majority and which can be passed by a simple majority. We should first formulate a federal law to chalk out a procedure on the passage of agreements by majority votes. But right now there is no such law. That is why the compact’s endorsement goes against the constitution.

Our constitution also talks about independent foreign policy and we remain firm on a non-alignment. Some provisions of the compact go against these constitutional provisions, but the government ignored such a sensitive matter and steamrolled the compact. 

What does the compact’s endorsement say about our political parties?

Like I said, the compact has several provisions which go against our national interests. If such provisions are implemented, our domestic laws, our right to self-determination, our national independence will be compromised. Therefore, all patriotic Nepalis should cautiously and consciously watch how such provisions unfold in the coming days.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is at the forefront of violating the constitution and laws. We have to watch closely how the government implements the provisions that are against the constitution and takes forward the interpretative declaration endorsed by the parliament. The compact’s endorsement clearly shows our political parties serve foreign powers.

You have been a rebel in your own party, including on the compact. What is your current status in CPN-UML?

I am just an ordinary UML member. I am also a member of the House of Representatives elected from Achham district.

How is your relationship with party Chairman KP Oli?

I do not have any special relationship with him. We have not talked since the party’s 10th general convention in Chitwan.