Nepal elections

News in Brief

Tensions were rising in the run-up to the Nepali constituent assembly elections on 19 November.

The ministry of home affairs issued a circular to security agencies warning of possible attacks by the breakaway CPN-Maoist party on the country’s telecommunication infrastructure and of alleged CPN-M plans to seize police weapons.

The CPN-Maoists accused the major parties and the establishment of trying to provoke a civil war by mobilising the army in election security operations. CPN-M party leader Mohan Baidya Kiran criticised the other major parties at the end of October, saying: ‘Their one-point strategy is to invite another round of violent conflict in the country.’

The party is officially committed to unarmed resistance to the elections.

Members of the CPN-M have been arrested by police for anti-election activities including leafleting (in Katari), flyposting (in Ramechhap), burning electoral publicity and training materials (in Ilam) and vandalising vehicles belonging to another party (in Dang).

On 26 October, the CPN-Maoist’s Panchthar district secretary, Laxmi Neupane, was arrested by two dozen police, apparently for carrying out ‘anti-election activities’.

The CPN-Maoists have also been accused of planting ‘socket bombs’ at the venue for a rally held by the rival UCPN-Maoists.

Police have also been arresting members of ‘Sanghiya Limbuwan Rajya Parishad’ ( the federal Limbuwan state council), a campaigning body for the Limbu people, for anti-election activities.

Topics: Nepal