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CPN-Maoist Likely To Derail Electoral Process In Nepal
English.news.cn (Xinhua) Editor: Yang Yi
June 3, 2013: the CPN-Maoist's decision on not registering at the Election Commission (EC) will likely derail the government's plan on holding Constituent Assembly (CA) elections in November, according to political analysts in Kathmandu.
The CPN-Maoist along with 32 fringe parties, refused to register at the EC, a constitutional body mandated to hold national and local elections saying that any election under the incumbent government and circumstances is meaningless.
To take part in the election, only the parties registered in the EC will be eligible. A total of 139 political parties have registered with the EC. The deadline for party registration was May 30.
The 33 other parties, led by the CPN-Maoist, have vowed to obstruct the electoral process if their demands were not met. They have already been obstructing voter registration update and citizenship distribution process across the country, key activities for preparation of election. Their main demand was the dissolution of the incumbent government led by Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi and formation of new one to be led by political party leaders.
But the government and major parties UCPN-Maoist, NC, and CPN-UML have said that dissolution of incumbent government is not possible because this would hamper the plan to hold elections in November.
"CPN-Maoist's decision not to register their party would definitely affect the government's plan to hold polls but there is no alternative to holding polls as scheduled," said political analyst Lok Raj Baral. He said that in many countries elections have taken place despite protests and violence and the government must proceed with the election despite the threat of CPN-Maoist.
On March 14, major political parties in Nepal formed a caretaker government led by Regmi to prepare for the holding of the CA polls. But the CPN-Maoist and many other fringe parties have opposed the move and called for the scrapping of such a government and demanded for the setting up of new one. "Without bringing CPN- Maoist party in the election process, it is not possible to hold the election," a Nepali Congress leader told Xinhua.
The government and major parties are holding talks with CPN- Maoist and other parties to resolve the problem but so far there has been no substantial progress.
The CPN-Maoist party was formed in June 2012 following the split in the UCPN-Maoist, the party which launched 10-year-long insurgency and emerged as a largest party in the 2008 constituent assembly elections. The CPN-Maoist is demanding to convene a roundtable conference of all political forces, form a new government, and draft a new constitution but the major parties do not agree.
Political commentator Mumaram Khanal, who is also former Maoist leader, said that the CPN-Maoist cadres have already obstructed the citizenship distribution process in some parts of the country. "Many ex-combatants who were discharged from the cantonments have joined the CPN-Maoist and they can create disturbance in the election process," he said. The government is preparing to hold elections in November but the exact date is still not known because the major parties are yet to settle their disputes related to electoral law and because of opposition from the CPN-Maoist and other fringe parties. Nepal is struggling to hold new elections for members of the constituent assembly after the CA elected in 2008 was dissolved last year without drafting a new constitution.
