Government Fulfills Mandate to Hold Elections Amidst Post-Protest Transition

Kathmandu. Following the Gen Z movement held on Bhadra 23 and 24 against corruption and mismanagement, the government formed on Bhadra 27 under the leadership of former Chief Justice Sushila Karki has fulfilled its primary responsibility of conducting parliamentary elections within six months.

Prime Minister Karki, who took on the executive leadership of the country in a difficult and challenging situation following the Gen Z movement, completed her responsibility by holding the elections amidst various apprehensions, difficulties, and opposition. She has succeeded in providing a way out for the country in an uneasy situation.

When the Karki-led government was formed, there were apprehensions that 'elections might not happen at all' and that chaos would prevail in the country for a long time with the constitution going off track. Due to the government's steadfastness, these apprehensions were overcome, and the elections were completed on the scheduled date.

Setting aside the outcome of the elections and whose favor they fall, the role played by the government, political parties, and the Election Commission in navigating the transitional phase is highly commendable.

The proactiveness shown by Prime Minister Karki in conducting the elections, along with the support and cooperation extended by Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal and other ministers, civil servants, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and the Nepali Army, as well as various political parties, was praiseworthy.

Certainly, it was no small feat for a non-partisan government and its Prime Minister to successfully conduct fear-free and impartial elections across the country simultaneously, while also fulfilling the obligation to honor the families of martyrs from the Gen Z movement, provide compensation, and arrange timely treatment for the injured, all while taking all political parties and the Gen Z generation into confidence.

No one can forget that the elections were completed on the scheduled date due to the efforts of Karki, including overcoming the complexity in selecting ministers when she took the oath of office, the moment of taking displaced political leadership into confidence, boosting the morale of security personnel that had dropped during the movement, and the government's role in boosting the morale of affected businesses and traders. However, political-constitutional questions did arise when the Karki-led government was formed. As President Ramchandra Paudel mentioned, the effort made to provide a way out for the country in a difficult and complex situation with great ingenuity should not be forgotten.

Moreover, the role played by neighboring countries as well as the international community in bringing Nepal back onto the correct constitutional track amidst the changed circumstances in Nepal is also significant. With the completion of the elections, the responsibility of how to move the country forward, what policies and regulations to formulate, and how to improve the living standards of all Nepalis by rectifying past shortcomings has now fallen upon the new parliament and its members. The 275 members of the House of Representatives who are elected now have the added responsibility of honoring the public mandate wisely, thereby safeguarding the nation, the constitution, and the system, based on the trust the people have placed in them.

Furthermore, the new government and parliament formed after the elections will have the responsibility to take action against those identified as guilty by the report of the investigation commission formed regarding the incidents of the Gen Z movement.