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Journalism of Courage
The monsoon brings Nepals annual cow festival,a chance for ordinary people to mock their rulers in traditional street performances. This year the comedians were blessed with plenty of material. Two months after the prime minister resigned,on the grounds that he was unable to advance the countrys peace process,Nepal remains without a leader. As a result,the tenuous peace stands in dire need of some process.
Five rounds of voting in the democratically elected Constituent Assembly,which also serves as a parliament,have failed to produce a new prime minister. A sixth round,scheduled for September 5,is unlikely to do any better.
Much hangs in the balance. A new constitution needs writing. Arguments over land reform and human rights need settling. Some 20,000 Maoist fighters are camped out,waiting to learn whether they are to be integrated with the army.
Two candidates want the job,but neither has been able to get a majority in the 601-seat assembly. Pushpa Kamal Dahal,or Prachanda his nom de guerre means the fierce one,has already held the office. Having led the Maoists through years of guerrilla warfare,he became Nepals prime minister after signing the 2006 peace accord. Prachanda resigned last year,after a row with the army. The Maoists still command a 40 per cent plurality in parliament,but they have been unable to bring Prachanda back to power.
His rival is Ram Chandra Poudel,who heads the Nepali Congress party,which was in the coalition government that succeeded Prachandas. His former coalition partner is remaining neutral in these votes,in the hope of forcing the formation of a unity government. This leaves Mr Poudel also unable to win a majority. Muddying the waters yet further,a block of regional parties from the neglected south of Nepal has withdrawn from the voting in a protest of its own.
As the assembly prepares for yet another round of votes,many younger members are calling for a new body to be formed to elect a leader. They say that an entrenched wing of the Nepali Congress has become fixated on thwarting the Maoists and insincere about writing a constitution. India is rumoured to be supporting the stalwarts.
The Maoists say they are open to forming a consensus government,but they are not ready to drop Prachanda in favour of a candidate whom their opponents would find palatable. The stalemate is taking a toll on government. If the annual budget is not passed,public services could come to a halt. The worse fear is that in all the fumbling,Nepals politicians will lose their grip on the fragile peace. No cow-festival comedian could milk that for jokes.
The Economist Newspaper Limited 2010
