April 8-9, 2008
As a series of bombs rocked the countryside, many of the international and national observers left Kathmandu today, flying to remote districts from which they will monitor the elections. Just an hour ago, I learned of a murder in Surkhet district: A candidate from the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) was shot down dead, apparently in the middle of a scuffle between former rebels and local police; gunmen remain unidentified.
I leave tomorrow morning for southeast Terai, landing in Biratnagar, the second largest city in Nepal not far from the Indian border. My role is as an international observer for the elections.
The historical nature of the elections may be the only thing in
Nepal that is not in dispute. A great deal is at stake, not the least
of which is the abolishment of the monarchy and a new constitution.
In
the meantime, there are practical logistics to attend to. The roads
connecting Nepal with India will be sealed off by armed guards. There
will be no flights on April 10, the day of the elections. The roads
will be empty save the rare vehicle that has acquired a hard-to-get
permit. Special teams including bomb disposal experts have been
deployed to sensitive areas where frequent bombings have taken place.
Tens of thousands of police officers have been dispersed throughout the
country.
Former
US president Jimmy Carter and his wife arrived to head the Carter
Center’s team of foreign observers. I spoke with him briefly this
evening at British Ambassador Andrew Hall’s home. He seemed cautiously
optimistic about the election results. Indian Ambassador Shiv Shankar
Mukherjee told me at the same gathering, “This election had to take
place. It should have taken place last November and I’m not sure the
country could have handled yet another postponement.”
Starting
tomorrow, I'll be covering three areas in southern Nepal: Morang,
Dhankuta and Sunsari. It’s one of the most contentious regions in the
country. Of the numerous politicians vying for Constituent Assembly
seats in these districts, I’ll be particularly interested in the home
polling stations of the following four candidates:
UPENDRA YADAV
from Sunsari District. Yadav is Chairman of Madheshi People Rights
Forum (MPRF), and the most prominent leader of the recent Terai
movement. Taking the country by surprise last year, he became a major
influence in bringing the Terai people together and demanding that the
central government grant them equal rights and representation. In
February 2008, for instance, his movement paralyzed the entire nation
by blocking off the main roads from India that serve as the lifeline of
the nation’s capital.
SURYA BAHADUR THAPA
from Dhankuta District. Thapa is president of the Nepal Janashakti
Party. His political career spans five decades. From 1963 –2004, he was
appointed Prime Minister five times. Thapa has served under three kings
and is associated with pro-monarchists in a district that has
increasingly experienced Maoist influence.
SUJATA KOIRALA
from Sunsari District. Koirala is the current Prime Minister’s
daughter and certainly one of the more controversial candidates in this
election. She is minister without portfolio in the current government
and advocates at least some form of monarchy. 
BHARAT MOHAN ADHIKARI
from Morang District. Adhikari is a standing committee member of
Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist). He was twice
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister during his party’s
nine-month control of the central government.
Polling ends
at 5pm April 10 but the election results may take up to three weeks to
tabulate. I’ll return to Kathmandu on April 11, after which I’ll
provide an in-depth report on what happened Election Day. Until then
I’ll be without readily available internet service.
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