VOTE! | Feature | wavemag.com.np

Why do we detest politics? Why is it that when anyone talks of politics, all it brings to mind is fat, sleazy politicians with no regard for the populace, let alone the laws of the country? Why have our leaders always been inept, bureaucratic, and self-important? And why do we always complain? Young and old alike, we complain about the state of the roads, why we don't have electricity, the availability of petrol and fuel or lack thereof, and everything else that is wrong with our country. But we tend to forget those who control the roads, who share out the electricity, and those who bring in the petrol are the ones we put in power. We chose to let them lead us. And if we didn't, then who are we to complain? If we don't play an active role in selecting those who will lead us, then we need to be satisfied with whatever malcontent we get. Because, like in any other endeavour, you get what you put in.

The 10 April elections might not solve everything immediately, but it is a start. And you have to start somewhere. This election will decide which direction Nepal takes. We have emerged from the murky depths of civil strife, of bombs, guns and war, of widowed women and orphaned children, and of death, into a new era. We have done away with old feudal values and we are trying for tolerance. Not just between religions, but between castes, regions and principles. We are entering a time of peace and hopefully, prosperity.

The time has come to make good on the promises of the April Uprising. We fought for our rights and we won. Now it is time to reap what we have sown. Old leaders have led us astray too long, and it is time we, the youth, spoke up. We have long been voiceless, content to hide behind our facades, in the relative safety of our homes, protected by our parents. It is time. If you want better leaders, vote. If you want a better life, vote. If you want to have electricity, petrol, gas and water, vote. If you want a better Nepal, vote. Make a choice. Make a selection. Stand up for yourself and decide who you want to lead you. If you're 18, you're old enough to know right and wrong, good and bad and understand how the country functions. It is about time that you played your part as a citizen. Cast your vote for someone, anyone. Just don't stay silent. Don't ignore the voice you've been given.

Every vote counts. No one is insignificant. This April, be a Nepali. Vote.

What are we voting for?
This April, we vote for a new constitution. A constitution is a body of principles, according to which the state is governed. All the laws of the country are made and governed by the constitution. A constituent assembly is an assembly of the people's representatives, chosen by the people, to form a new constitution. The assembly will also decide on the monarchy. The new constituent assembly will consist of:

1. 240 candidates elected from 240 constituencies all across the country. Only the person who gets the most number of votes will be elected. This system is called First Past the Post.
2. 335 candidates elected from among the political parties through proportional election.
3. 26 candidates nominated by the interim cabinet on consensus.

We will vote twice. Once in favour of a candidate from your constituency (i.e., where your name appears on the voter's list) in the First Past the Post (FPTP) system, and the second time for a political party under the proportional electoral system. In the FPTP, the candidate who gets the most number of votes will win and in the proportional electoral system, the party with the most number of votes will win and from that party's closed list, the candidates will be declared winners. (Every party must submit a closed list of candidates before the elections including women, dalits, indigenous people, Madhesis, and people from backward regions. The closed list cannot be changed once submitted.)

Who are we voting for?
This election has a total of 74 parties contesting. The seven party alliance consists of the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, CPN-M, People's Front Nepal, Nepal Sadhbhavana Party, Nepal Workers and Peasant's Party and the United Left Front. Out of all the parties, the largest and only parties to field one candidate each from all 240 constituencies are three: Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist) and the Community Party of Nepal (Maoist). The UML has withdrawn its candidacy to support the Communist Party of Nepal (United) from one constituency. New regional parties emerged after the Madhes movement last year and are also contesting in the almost all the seats in the Tarai region. The Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal (National Democratic Party Nepal) is the largest among the different pro-monarchist parties and has filed its candidacy nationwide.

The Major Three:
Nepali Congress (NC)
www.nepalicongress.org
We have been led by the Nepali Congress many times before. The country runs under the leadership of Girija Prasad Koirala, president of the NC. Founded by BP Koirala in 1947, the NC has a long history of championing democracy above all else. The NC led the movement against the Panchayat system long ago and recently, also led the Seven Party Alliance against king Gyanendra. Sher Bahadur Deuba was leader of the NC (Democratic) before unification into one party.

The NC manifesto proposes to introduce a fully democratic federal republican system. If elected, it will draft a new constitution through consensus of all political parties, to make it more democratic and progressive. The country will have a president elected by the national and regional parliaments, while the prime minister will be the executive head of the country. The central and regional parliaments will be elected through a mixed electoral system and the governments at the regional level will be formed inclusively. The party manifesto proposes that all mother tongues will be given recognition as national languages, while Nepali will remain the official language of the country but the regional parliament will decide which language should be used as the official language of the region. The party also pledges to provide free basic health services and guarantee jobs for all. The NC will guarantee protection of the rights of labourers, press freedom, the third sex, and all minorities and backward communities. At the first meeting of the CA, the NC will propose to abolish the monarchy.

The symbol for the NC is the Tree.

Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninists)
www.cpnuml.org
The United Marxist Leninists (UML) were formed in 1991 from the unification of the CPN (Marxist-Leninist) and the CPN(Marxist). Madhav Kumar Nepal leads the party. The UML was part of the five party protests in 2003 when the king dissolved parliament and sacked then PM Sher Bahadur Deuba. But when Deuba was reinstalled, the UML joined the government.

The CPN-UML manifesto proposes an executive prime minister with just a ceremonial president who will be head of state. The prime minister will be elected directly by the people under the FPTP electoral system and the president through a majority of the parliament. The president will only have limited rights and responsibilities as the ceremonial head of state. The federal structure of the state will be developed on the basis of ethnic, linguistic, cultural and geographic differences. The UML government will focus on the development of tourism, water resources and agriculture.
The symbol for the UML is the Sun.

Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists)
www.cpnm.org

The Maoists, led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, used to be our rebel army. Since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, they've given up arms and joined the mainstream. The People's Liberation Army has been confined to cantonments and the Maoists function like any other political party. They are also the ones doing the most aggressive campaigning at the moment. The CPN-M was formed in 1994 by Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Baburam Bhattarai.

The Maoist manifesto focuses on state restructuring. The state will be structured on the basis of ethnicity and each separate region will be given autonomy with rights to self-determination.There will be 11 federal states and two sub-regions. There will be a president elected directly by the people under the FPTP electoral system and the prime minister will be elected through parliament. The Maoists also have a transitional economic policy that aims for extreme development in the country within the next 40 years. They will also focus on agriculture, tourism, water resources, hydroelectricity, physical infrastructure development and urbanisation. The Maoists will provide relief and compensation to the families of those killed, injured and disappeared in the war. They also claim that Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal should be elected first president. The symbol for the Maoists is a hammer and sickle inside a circle.

For more information on the parties and their activities, visit www.election.gov.np, your nearest election commission office or the individual party offices.

Who is eligible to vote?
There are two types of voters: temporary and permanent. Permanent voters are eligible to vote for the FPTP and the proportional electoral system but temporary voters can only vote in the proportional electoral system.
Permanent voters are:

1. Those who've reached 18 years of age before December 2006
2. Those who hold a Nepali citizenship
3. Those who're permanent residents of a VDC or a municipality within an election constituency

Temporary voters are:
1. Those who're employed by the government in any way
2. Police, army or PLA fighters confined to barracks or cantonments
3. Prisoners
4. Employees and security officials at the polling booths

How to vote?
On election day, head down to the polling booth that holds your name in its voting list with any identification (usually a citizenship certificate), or your voter's card if you have one. Queue up for voting, one row for men and one for women. Verify that your name is on the voter's list, have your nails inked for identification and collect your ballot paper. Make sure that the ballot paper you hold is light blue in colour and has been signed by the election officer. Now, head to the closed polling booth and use the swastika stamp to choose the candidate you want to vote for under FPTP. Make sure the stamp is clear, and that there is only one mark on your paper. Carefully fold the paper and drop it into the ballot box with the light blue sticker marked "1".

Move on to collect the next ballot paper, this one pale red. Again, check for the election officer's signature. Move to the voting booth and use the swastika stamp for your desired political party under the proportional electoral system. Fold the paper and drop it into the ballot box with the pale red sticker marked "2".

In case of any confusion, you can consult the volunteers, the security officers or the election officials. To be safe, do not give out the name of the person or the party you voted for.

Voting begins at 7AM and ends at 5PM.