No questions asked

Voters seem too angry to interact with the old parties, too smitten to pose questions to the new ones.

Nepal has a history of elections being fiercely contested over ideology, as well as political and economic programmes, especially among forces that have mobilised for change. Following the democratic movement of 1990, the Nepali Congress (NC) stood in favour of liberalising the economy with elaborate market reforms. The CPN-UML and other communist parties, on the other hand, advocated for a stronger government intervention in the market, opposed liberalisation, and took a rigid position on external aid and treaties. In recent years, two Constituent Assembly elections were contested for structural changes in Nepal’s social and political institutions, with competing visions put forth by the Maoist party, Madhesh-based parties and the two major parties—NC and UML. The contestation of these agendas has not only helped in the national political settlement but has also deepened Nepali democracy.