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Preparations are in full swing for the May 13 local-level elections. Political parties and candidates are out barnstorming while the Election Commission is doing its part to conduct a free and fair vote.

For political parties, particularly those in the Nepali Congress-led ruling coalition, these past few weeks have been hectic. For days, the ruling parties were busy divvying up seats as they had decided to forge an electoral alliance against CPN-UML, the main opposition. 

The ruling Congress, CPN (Maoist Center), CPN (Unified Socialist), and Janta Samajwadi Party have nominated common candidates in most local bodies and are competing individually only in a few places.

Similarly, UML, too, has cobbled alliances with small opposition parties like Loktantrik Samajwadi Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party in many places. The main opposition, however, has called dibs on mayoral seats in almost every metropolis, sub-metropolis and municipality.

The electoral alliances have also led to resentment and dissatisfaction in some parties.

As a result, many local politicians have registered themselves as rebel candidates after being denied tickets from their parties. For instance, Jagannath Paudel of Congress has filed his candidacy against Renu Dahal of Maoist Center in Bharatpur Metropolitan City. Likewise, in Pokhara Metropolitan City, Nanda Tiwari and Hrishi Sapkota of Congress have stood against the Unified Socialist candidate, Dhanraj Acharya.

There are also several independent youth candidates this time. Rapper and structural engineer Balen Shah is running for the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Similarly, Ganess Paudel has filed an independent candidacy for Pokhara Metropolitan City’s mayor. Young and independent candidates are also contesting at the municipal level.

Among the mayoral aspirants this time are also some provincial lawmakers. They have resigned as assembly members to contest the May 13 elections.

According to Saligram Sharma Paudel, spokesperson of the Election Commission, 137,043 people have filed their candidacies for 35,221 posts this time. 

Of them, 3,276 are for mayor, 2,009 for deputy mayor, 3,264 for chairperson, 2,296 for vice-chairperson, and 32,217 for ward chairperson. Similarly, 23,521 candidacies have been filed for women members, 21,221 for Dalit women members, and 49,239 for ward members.

Kaike, Charkatangsong, and Shey Phoksundo rural municipalities of Dolpa district have already elected their chairs and vice-chairs unopposed after only Unified Socialist filed its candidacy. 

There are over 10,000 polling stations all over Nepal. The Home Ministry has categorized around 3,000 of them as ‘very sensitive’ and 4,000 as ‘sensitive’ and is preparing to mobilize security personnel accordingly.

Nearly 100,000 temporary police have been hired to assist the 60,000-strong Nepal Police for election security. The Armed Police Force will also be deployed on patrol, and to secure election offices. Similarly, Nepal Army soldiers will also be involved in various poll security duties, including securing airports and prisons.

Around 2,000 officers of the National Investigation Department will be mobilized to collect vital security information and coordinate with the police forces.

‘Preparations are on track’

Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya

Chief Election Commissioner

The commission is responsible for meeting almost every logistical election need. So we need to get many things right to conduct free and fair elections. Due to the many posts at the local level, managing ballot papers is a little tricky. Yet, we are on schedule and everything is on track. 

We are in the process of finalizing candidates and giving them election symbols. 

Ballot papers are also being printed, and other necessary materials are being sent to respective election offices. We are playing our part and I request other stakeholders to do the same, especially the political parties, whom I request to adhere to the election code of conduct.

The 75 years of US-Nepal diplomatic relations have had their share of ups and downs. The Americans were among Nepal’s first bilateral donors. Peace Corps volunteers, engaged in pursuits ranging from education to agriculture, helped Nepal modernize. The American role in helping Nepal maintain its ‘strategic autonomy’ vis-à-vis its two giant neighbors has been no less important over the years.

Yet there have also been times when the Americans have made things rather tricky for Kathmandu. For instance, the US-supported Khampa uprising in the 1960s had become a big headache for Kathmandu as it threatened to destroy Nepal-China ties. Throughout the Cold War, Nepal also had to maintain a delicate balance between the US and the USSR, the two superpowers. The Americans were also blamed for prolonging the Maoist insurgency (1996-2006) by arming the Nepal Army.

Now the bilateral relationship is again in focus thanks to the MCC compact. After its February 27 endorsement by the Nepali parliament, there has been a flurry of activity on the bilateral front, with the announcement of another lucrative USAID grant and a spate of high-level visits from America.

Anil Sigdel, founder of Nepal Matters for America, a Washington DC-based think tank, says the Americans want to “to ensure that Nepal aligns with US policy against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine”— more so as both India and China have refused to condemn Russia. They would also like to ensure the projects under the compact face no more obstacles and to keep China honest in Nepal.

Says Anna Richey-Allen, spokesperson at the US Embassy in Kathmandu, “Now more than ever, we [the two countries] will need to tackle difficult issues like… protecting democracy in the face of rising authoritarianism.”

With Washington now needing to lobby with Nepali leaders against Moscow it seems like Cold War redux in Kathmandu.   

Also read: China, Russia behind greater US engagement with Nepal

Around 4, 000 candidates withdrew their candidacies registered for the local level elections slated for May 13.

The Election Commission had given time till 5 pm today to withdraw the nominations.

The poll body has not been able to ascertain the number of candidates contesting at the 753 local levels.

According to the Commission, 153, 220 have filed candidacies till Friday evening.

US Ambassador to Nepal Randy W. Berry said that the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) will help modernize Nepal’s energy and transportation sectors, assisting more than 23 million Nepalis.

The government of Nepal ratified the MCC agreement in February this year.

In a statement issued to mark the 75th year of diplomatic relations between the United States and Nepal on Friday, Ambassador Berry said that throughout these 75 years – and through the decades of change that have occurred in both of our countries – the United States and Nepal have stood with one another.

Americans know Nepalis as the people who make laudable advances in medicine and science, reach nearly impossible heights as mountaineers, honorably and bravely serve as UN peacekeepers, and enrich the world’s heritage through a vast diversity of arts and culture.

The United States’ historic support for Nepal’s health sector reflects the powerful results of our partnership. In the 1950s, malaria afflicted nearly 25 percent of the population. The US government through USAID, supported the Malaria Control Program and by 1968, malaria cases dropped from more than 2 million to 2,468 cases nationwide, the statement further read.

In the last two years since the beginning of the pandemic, the United States has donated nearly 3.8 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Nepal to date, and given over $124.8 million in COVID assistance.

“The foundation of this multi-generational US– Nepal relationship is people-to-people connections, sovereignty, and democratic values. Today, we need each other more than ever to tackle difficult issues like addressing the climate crisis and protecting democracy in the face of rising authoritarianism. We look forward to doing this together, giving us the results that this friendship has given us for generations,” Ambassador Berry said in the statement.