On
April 10th,
Nepal held its
first democratic
elections, selecting
the Constituent
Assembly charged
with writing
the new Nepali
Constitution.
Chin Thapa,
a 25 years old
Nepali porter
born in the
remote Maghar
village of Kubinde,
voted for the
first time of
his life. We
witnessed this
historical election
which put an
end to 240 years
of monarchy
and to decades
of what many
Nepalis call
« civil
war »,
with more than
11,000 people
killed since
1996.
Weeks
prior to the
elections, the
country was
expecting many
acts of violence.
Borders were
closed. All
media, UN organizations
and political
leaders were
calling for
peace. No one
knew what would
be the output
of these first
democratic elections.
More than 18
million Nepalis
were called
to vote for
the 601 members
of the Constituent
Assembly. According
to the Election
Commission,
over 60% of
the total 17.6
million eligible
voters exercised
their rights
at 239 of the
240 electoral
constituencies.
Despite
the fact that
the government
had declared
national holidays
to allow all
Nepali citizens
to vote, Chin
Thapa, who belongs
to the Maghar
ethnic group
in Nepal, did
not know until
the last week
if he could
have the possibility
to go back to
his home district
and exercise
his rights to
vote.
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Chin
Thapa,
with
friends
and
Reporter
|
Chin
and I have known
each other for
more than a
year, as he
guided many
of the incredible
treks I have
done throughout
the country.
I remember him
telling how
important it
was for him
to vote on April
10th. «
I really hope
my boss will
allow me to
have some days
off so that
I can go vote
for the first
time»
he said.
A
few days before
the elections,
I came visit
Chin in his
office. The
porter was upset.
He did not receive
the authorization
to go to his
remote village
to vote as he
was scheduled
to accompany
tourists on
another trek.
I decided to
go directly
to Chin’s
boss and offer
him a deal :
a friend of
mine and myself
would contract
Chin to be our
guide on a new
trek ; but a
special trek,
one going at
his remote village
in the Dhading
district, where
Chin could finally
vote freely.
The
Director of
the trekking
company had
no other option
but to accept
the financial
gain in allowing
Chin to go.
« All
right »
did he tell
Chin in Nepali,
« but
if I let you
vote, you have
to vote for
the Nepali Congress,
not for the
Maoists. They
are murderers
! ». In
the whole country
cases like this
happened every
where. Many
people from
the ruling elite
did try to block
workers from
voting, especially
those like Chin
who have a political
ideology more
incline to the
very left.
Chin’s
village, Kubinde,
is located near
Bathathum, half
way between
the capital
and the Annapurnas.
Two days of
long walk and
bus rides are
necessary to
access his village.
On our way,
while stopping
for the usual
Dal Bhat lunch
in a tea house
next to a bridge,
around 20 men
wearing Maoists
T-shirts start
gathering around
the table next
to us. Everyone
talks load,and
we can all feel
the tension
growing.
Chin
tells us that
it is getting
« too
warm with politics
» and
that it is time
to pick up our
bags and go.
Once on top
of the hill,
Chin translates
the conversion
he had heard
in the tea house.
Apparently,
7 Maoists had
been killed
in Kathmandu
the previous
day. The group
of Maoists we
just met were
waiting for
3 buses full
of Nepali Congress
militants about
to cross the
bridge. The
idea was to
fight them in
retaliation
to the violence
occurred in
Kathmandu.
We
finally arrive
to Chin’s
village. No
road, no electricity,
no tourist ever
coming to this
remote area.
Every villager
welcomes us
like members
of their family.
Every man also
asks Chin for
election related
news. In all
mud houses we
pass by, politics
is the main
subject of conversation.
Chin
Thapa
voting
for
the
first
time,
Mathillo
Pokhara,
Nepal
|
Maghar
woman
voting
in her
traditional
cloth
|
On
Thursday April
10th, Chin wakes
us up very early
to go to the
election polling
stations, a
few hours walk
from his family’s
farm. All the
houses we pass
by are empty.
On the way,
we meet men
and women dressed
up with their
most precious
traditional
cloths. When
we arrive in
the Mahandrodiya
secondary school,
in the village
of Mathillo
Pokhara, hundreds
of Nepalis are
already waiting
on line to vote
for the first
time of their
life. My Swiss
friend and I
will be the
only international
observers in
this remote
area.
We
can see two
lines of voters,
one for men
and one for
women. Everyone,
dressed in their
colorful wedding
costumes, remains
calm and patient.
When Chin arrives
in front of
the pooling
booth, he first
has to sign
and give his
digital prints.
A long lasting
black mark is
painted on his
left thumb to
prevent him
from voting
in another station.
As every Nepali
voter, he will
fill out two
voting bulletins:
one for a political
party, and one
for a member
of the Constitutional
Congress. Since
most of the
villagers are
illiterates,
they are to
select the party
and members
by choosing
from different
drawings of
the political
parties’
symbols.
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Children
and mentally
retarded
people
voting. |
Every
one remains
extremely calm
in the village.
None of the
expected violence
occurs. However,
we can see cases
of grand mothers
and mentally
retarded people
entering the
booth accompanied
by someone else
who will in
fact vote for
them. Moreover,
quite a big
amount of young
people, obviously
under the age
of 18, will
also be allowed
to vote in spite
of the law.
«
How old are
you ? »
I ask Rabindar,
one of the voters.
« I am
16 » the
young boy replies.
« 16 ?
but isn’t
it 18 the legal
age to vote
? » «
Yes, but here
you can do anything
! »
After
observing the
elections in
Mathilo Pokhara,
we decide to
walk to another
poling station
further down
the hills. In
the village
of Lower Mula
Bari, in the
district of
Dhading, elections
are also held
in a secondary
school. A few
armed men in
military costumes
are posted around
the crowd.
«
Are the elections
going well in
this village
? » we
ask. «
Yes, no violence
at all »
replies a guard.
« This
is because of
my command !
». Ten
minutes later,
while a teacher
is inviting
us for tea,
we hear people
screaming. In
a few seconds,
hundreds of
people run toward
the center of
the park. Chin
looks at me
and shouts :
« Gaëlle,
violence ! go
take pictures
! ».
We
see a huge movement
in the crowd,
with young people
running around
their sticks
in the air,
women yelling
and crying,
children pushing
each other to
have a better
view of what
is going on.
It feels like
everyone was
expecting the
violence, and
even waiting
for it.
Young
militants of
the UML, the
Unity of Marx
and Lenin party,
started a fight
with members
of the Nepali
Congress. The
military forces
along with the
teachers finally
manage to calm
down the young
people. The
Director of
the school will
then come to
me and say «
did you see
that ? I managed
to handle the
crisis in just
a few minutes.
Now every thing
is in order
». No
other incidents
are to be reported
from that day
in those two
poling stations
of the District
of Dhading.
Mouvement
of violence
in Lower
Mula
Bari
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Militants
of the
UML,
the
Unity
of Marx
and
Lenin
party,
fighting
with
members
of the
Nepali
Congress
|
The
first democratic
elections ever
held in Nepal
were nationally
observed as
calm and peaceful
in most areas.
On the day of
the elections
however, two
persons, including
an independent
candidate, were
killed in Nepal
and polling
was cancelled
in 33 of the
20,889 polling
stations of
the country.
“These
numbers are
far below than
what was anticipated
widely,”
Chief Election
Commissioner
Bhoj Raj Pokhrel
said in a press
conference organised
by the Election
Commission shortly
after the election
ended.
Election
officials said
they expect
by the end of
next week to
have the complete
poll results
for the assembly
slated to abolish
the monarchy
and rewrite
the constitution.
According to
election commission
spokesman Laxman
Bhattarai the
maoists are
on track to
win around a
third of the
335 seats allocated
by proportional
representation.
The
Maoists' leader
Prachanda called
the results
a "victory"
and declared
to the press
: "We are
fully committed
to the peace
process and
multi-party
democracy and
to rebuild this
country".
A real change
in Nepal, with
among other
issues more
access to education,
equality, electricity
or roads, is
certainly the
expectation
from most of
the poor villagers
we have encountered
in the Maghar
region. Now
that the Maoists
are not opposing
the Government
nor acting as
revolutionaries
anymore, Nepal
shall see if
the promised
change may not
only remain
an illusion.
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