In Nepal, too, discourse on the age limit of leaders crop up every now and then, only for the senior leaders, both in rank and age, to dismiss it. Top leaders of major parties in Nepal have already crossed 70, and yet they have shown no indication of retiring from active politics.
This week, the issue of age limit caught headlines once again after the secretariat meeting of CPN-UML announced to remove the age limit for the party leader. The UML was the first party to come up with such a policy and now it is planning to do away with it. The final decision in this regard will be taken by the party’s policy convention, and there is a high likelihood that it will be endorsed. Removal of the age threshold will not only pave the way for the party chairman, KP Oli, to seek reelection for a third term, it will also provide the aging second-rung leaders the shot at party leadership. Inside the Nepali Congress, some youth leaders have been demanding an age limit for the party president, but their voices have gone unheard. The NC has long been a party led either by a septuagenarian or an octogenarian leader. Its current leader, Sher Bahadur Deuba, is 77. The NC party statute has capped the term limit for the party president for only two terms. Deuba will be 80 by the time the party holds its next general convention in 2026. Previous NC presidents Sushil Koirala and Girija Prasad Koirala also remained at the party’s helm till their 80s. As for the CPN (Maoist Center), its leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal pretty much enjoys the role of a supremo, with no one to challenge his position in the foreseeable future. While many other countries are also run by old leaders, there is one stark difference between them and Nepal: the same set of leaders have been running the country for over the past three decades. “When the same set of leaders reach the helm of power time and again, there should at least be a term limit to break this cycle,” says NC’s Bhupendra Jung Shahi. “What matters the most in a leader is vision, dynamism and management capacity, not age. If someone in their seventies comes up with a new vision, they should be given the opportunity to lead.” Shahi adds there cannot be a comparison between Nepali leaders and other world leaders because the context is completely different. In the case of Nepal, most youth politicians raise the issue of age limit, but they downplay the issue as they turn old, stating that it is the ideology that matters not the age. But some argue that there should be an age limit for politics just like in bureaucracy, police and army. They are of the view that old age also affects one's ability to lead. But old-age top politicians do not agree. CPN-UML leader Lal Babu Yadav claims that it is the vision and quality matters, not the age of a leader. “When China’s Deng Xiaoping took charge, he was 73 and it is because of his vision that China has emerged as a superpower next to the US. Similarly, Nelson Mandela, Lee Kuan are other leaders who transformed their country with their outstanding visions even at an advanced age.” Yadav adds Nepal’s former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala was nearing 80 when he played a vital role in bringing the Maoist party to mainstream politics. “Had Koirala retired from active politics due to age limit, we can hardly imagine the initiation of the peace process,” he says In developing countries, politicians often undergo regular cognitive tests to find whether they are fit to perform the tasks. Such tests are not performed in Nepal. When it comes to constitutional provision of age limit in Nepal, there is only a floor not the ceiling. Article 87 of the constitution says one who has completed the age of 25 years is eligible to become a member of the House of Representative and 35 years for the National Assembly. But the constitution does not talk about the ceiling age. UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel argues the age limit policy does not ensure the leadership change issue in political parties. Compared to other parties, he adds UML is the only party which has witnessed a periodic change in leadership. “We have a very clear position that by raising the age limit we should not create problems in the party’s leadership and the 70-year age limit does not guarantee a change in leadership.” Sociologist Pranab Kharel says imposing an age limit is a new way to elevate the new generation in party politics, but in the context of South Asia and Nepal, it does not appear relevant. “To impose such a provision, there should be practice of intra-party democracy and installation of necessary mechanisms.” Kharel notes that Nepal’s politics revolves around insecurity and as a result, top leaders do not want to take retirement till the end of their life. Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) leader Pranaya SJB Rana told ApEx in a recent interview that the narrative of young and old in politics is wrong. “For contesting parliamentary polls, experience and knowledge in policy making and research should be the criteria. It’s about qualification—not about age.” He gave the example of US Senator Bernie Sanders who at 81 is still highly engaged in policy research and advocacy. “His constituents, especially the youths, can relax and enjoy their private life. We should establish a narrative of qualification for politicians, not age.”
