The 1990 Constitution
is now viewed outdated, and the
nation has decided to elect Constituent
Assembly to frame a new Constitution.
To be able to hold free and fair
‘Constituent Assembly Elections’
has been a key mission to achieve
lasting peace and consolidation
of democracy in the country. Constituent
assembly has been demanded as
a process of securing ‘wider
ownership of people over the constitution’.
Unlike many countries, the significance
of “Constituent Assembly
Elections”, in Nepal, is
not limited to political goal
alone. In fact, it has been seen
as an opportunity to address oldest
problem of exclusion of majority
of people from mainstream of polity
and socio-economic development.
The effectiveness of the constituent
assembly is thus dependent on
massive participation of people
on its discussion and exercise
of voting rights.
However, the
bogey of Constituent Assembly
is being invoked by different
interest groups from different
dimensions. Different walk of
people view its importance and
process differently. Not only
illiterate mass but the literate
masses are romanticized by the
slogan of constituent assembly
which they had been chanting from
the month of April 2006. Among
this mass lack of conceptual clarity
about constituent assembly and
its election is pervasive. Even
most of political leaders, civil
educators, rights activists lack
clarity in understanding the constituent
assembly election and its modality
and processes. It is a bitter
fact that huge populace of the
country, including this mass are
still unaware about the differences
between constituent assembly election,
which is held only once to constitute
the constitution and Parliamentarian
election which is held periodically.
Undoubtedly,
the making of constitution through
Constituent Assembly without adequate
awareness of people on it may
invite political disaster like
in Russia in 1917. Constituent
assembly election process, thus,
requires a trustworthy and workable
cooperation among the political
actors and civil society-academics,
experts and professionals who
have immensely contributed in
the successful accomplishment
of the present popular movement.
Since, Constituent Assembly election
is going to be held for the first
time in Nepal's history, lots
of information, sensitization,
and awareness building about the
concept, process and modality
of the electoral system among
every actors involved in the election
is deemed inevitable. Different
types of election system including
its modality, process, advantage
and disadvantage, and applications
in other countries, needs to be
identified and understood before
going for any type of election.
Moreover, it is important to sensitize
people about the methods and process
of the election such as balloting
and counting, to conduct fair
and free election.
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