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NepalThe 1986 Elections
Between the 1981 and 1986 elections, there was a
growing rift
among the pancha. Without a viable economic and
political
program, disillusionment with the panchayat system
increased. In the face of a deteriorating economy,
faltering
development plans, and the failure of the
panchayati
raj to inspire motivation and confidence in an
already
demoralized bureaucracy, the credibility of the government
waned.
The banned political parties, especially the Nepali
Congress Party,
after initial efforts at reconciliation, concentrated on
organizational work and the demand for political
pluralism. Most
political activities, however, were noticeable only within
the
panchayat system itself. Appointed in 1983, the new
prime
minister, Lokendra Bahadur Chand, had a no-confidence
motion filed
against him immediately after taking office. The motion
was
declared inadmissible on the grounds of errors in
drafting, but
this power struggle among different groups of
pancha further
undermined the panchayat system.
The uneasy political stalemate was upset when in late
May 1985,
the Nepali Congress Party, in preparation for the 1986
election,
decided to launch a satyagraha (civil disobedience)
campaign--in which many communists also participated--to
demand
reforms in the political system. A large number of Nepali
Congress
Party activists were quickly arrested. Although the
campaign
generally lacked popular support, it received considerable
attention and interest among intellectuals and students,
caused
tension within the government, and further divided the
already
fractured panchayat. Kathmandu also was subjected
to
violence, including explosions that rocked the royal
palace and
other key buildings. There was further discontent when, at
the
panchayat workers' annual congress, the moot issue
of
government accountability to the legislature was
disallowed from
discussion.
In a politically charged atmosphere, the second
quinquennial
nationwide election to the Rashtriya Panchayat was held in
May
1986. Slightly more than 9 million voters cast their
ballots for
1,584 candidates for 112 seats. According to official
sources, 60
percent of all eligible voters participated in the
election.
The election was marked by a lack of enthusiasm, which
partly
reflected the Nepali Congress Party's boycott. A few
communist
factions contested the election. About 20 percent of the
candidates
were elected either on the basis of their roles as
champions of the
opposition or for their stand against the elite.
Allegations of
electoral malpractice also were widely voiced. The
electoral
success of forty-five Chettris and Thakuris, sixteen Hill
Brahmans,
and seven Newars indicated that the traditional power
structure
remained largely unaffected. Marich Man Singh Shrestha, a
Newar,
was appointed prime minister. Three women were elected to
the
Rashtriya Panchayat from the Tarai Region, but no Muslims
were
elected.
Data as of September 1991
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