March 8, 2008 Historic Election
Leaves Nepal Women
in Lurch By Sudeshna Sarkar
Kathmandu
The first historic constituent assembly election in Nepal, which
will enable voters to write their own constitution and is regarded
as the key to restoring peace and stability in the former Himalayan
kingdom, has however left women in the lurch.
Women, who form over 51 percent of Nepal's 27-million population and
played a dominant role in the street protests two years ago that saw
the fall of King Gyanendra's absolute regime, have not got the
proportional representation in the April 10 polls that they had been
vying for.
This election will see two prominent women contestants make their
poll debut - Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's daughter Sujata
Koirala, who is a minister without portfolio in the Prime Minister's
Office, and Hisila Yami, a top Maoist leader who is the physical
planning and works minister.
However, none of the ruling parties have chosen 30 percent women
contestants, the minimum reservation for the gender in all state
organs pledged by the ruling parties. The Maoists have been the most
upfront, fielding 20 percent women candidates.
Maoist deputy chief Baburam Bhattarai, who is Yami's husband,
admitted that though his party had wanted to nominate 50 percent
women contestants, due to the scarcity of suitable candidates, they
could not do so.
The two other biggest parties have failed miserably to promote women
leaders. The prime minister's Nepali Congress party, the biggest in
parliament, has named only 26 women for the election that will see
over 4,000 candidates in the direct fray for 240 seats.
Its biggest traditional rival in the polls, the Communist Party of
Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), has also chosen 26 women
candidates for the direct election.
On Saturday, when the world celebrated International Women's Day, a
media report from Nepal pointed out that women candidates from both
parties were doomed from the beginning.
"Are these candidates really fielded to win?" the Kathmandu Post
daily said in a front-page report. "The parties have fielded most of
their women candidates in constituencies where they have weak public
support."
The Nepali Congress, for instance, has fielded a little-known
candidate, Bhim Kumari Buda, in Rolpa district, regarded as the
cradle of the Maoist movement. Buda's rival is none other than
Maoist chief Prachanda himself.
In Dang, another Maoist stronghold from where Maoist minister for
information and communications Krishna Bahadur Mahara is contesting,
the Nepali Congress nominee is another lightweight, Anita Devkota.
There are rumours of an understanding between the ruling parties to
ensure the victory of their top leaders by naming weak candidates
against them and women seem to have been made the sacrificial lambs.
However, one poll fight that will grab the headlines involves a
woman contestant.
Sujata Koirala is making her poll debut from Sunsari district in the
Terai plains where caste, community and cash are said to be the
deciding factors, not party colours.
The first daughter will face a formidable rival in the form of
Upendra Yadav, chief of debutant party Madhesi Janadhikar Forum that
has begun controlling Terai politics and with its allies this year
shut down the plains for 16 days.
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