A Balancing Act

Electoral processes are not serving their main purpose, that of consolidating or deepening democracy, unless they are fostering a political system representative of the society and advancing human rights. The election for Nepal's long-pursued Constituent Assembly was meant to ensure such a democratic transformation and, with it, the deliverance from a decade-long conflict. In the context in which large-scale social exclusion had been the root cause of the conflict in Nepal, this chapter focuses on the opportunities and limitations for peace and state-building through electoral processes from the perspective of inclusive representation.

Two circular paradigms framed the Constituent Assembly electoral process. Holding an early election would sustain the necessary momentum for the peace process by maintaining the trust between the main parties to it, the Seven Party Alliance and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN-M). At the same time, holding the election before granting the traditionally marginalized communities the freedom to elect their own representatives was prone to opening a new dimension for the conflict.