One month after the fall of the KP Sharma Oli government due to the Gen-Z movement, Sushila Karki is serving as the interim Prime Minister of Nepal. Her government has announced general elections for March 5, and the Election Commission has already published the election schedule.
Interim government's election push
Prime Minister Karki on Tuesday met with Election Commission officials—Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari and Election Commissioners Dr. Janaki Devi Tuladhar and Sagun Shamsher Rana—to urge them to create an environment for the scheduled elections.
"Let's create an election atmosphere and make preparations for it. Let's hold an all-party meeting soon for discussions," Karki said. She also committed to immediately arranging all necessary logistics, including election materials, ballot box security, security personnel deployment, and the required budget.
President Ramchandra Paudel has also advised political parties to seek a fresh mandate to safeguard the constitution and the current political system.
Maoist Center ready, other major parties hesitant
With five months remaining until the proposed election date, CPN (Maoist Center) has already started preparations. Party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' affirmed their participation, stating that the election must be held on the announced date and all political parties should take part.
However, two major former ruling parties, Nepali Congress (NC) CPN (UML), appear unprepared for elections. Their priority is the reinstatement of the dissolved Parliament, for which they are preparing to file a petition in court.
Rajendra Gautam, CPN (UML) Standing Committee member, confirmed ongoing discussions with Nepali Congress to seek constitutional review of the interim government's formation and the dissolution of the House of Representatives (HoR). UML will finalize their court strategy after their Central Committee meeting on October 13-15.
Nepali Congress spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat claims there is no reliable basis for an election to take place. He questioned the government's seriousness, citing a lack of consultation with parties and lingering constitutional questions. He added that the party's Central Working Committee would make a final decision on October 13.
Both parties are facing internal pressure to replace old leadership following the Gen-Z movement and are seemingly not psychologically ready for the election, which would involve the complicated process of distributing tickets to new faces.
UML Deputy General Secretary Pradeep Gyawali expressed doubt that the current government would be able to hold elections in the existing circumstances. President Paudel has repeatedly advised the leaders of both parties to participate in the polls.
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