Nepal’s Upcoming Municipal Elections

Nepal is holding its municipal elections on May 13, 2022 to elect local government executives across 6 metropolitan cities, 11 sub-metropolises, 276 urban municipalities, and 460 rural municipalities. Over 17 million voters are eligible to cast their vote across 10,756 polling centers.

2017 Local Elections and Emerging Trends

In the 2017 local elections, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML) won the largest number of seats, followed by the Nepali Congress (NC) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) (CPN-Maoist). The results varied across the seven provinces, with CPN-UML dominating some regions and NC securing more seats in others.

Significance and Challenges of Nepal’s Federal Transition

The 2017 local elections were significant for Nepal’s federal transition, as they authorized elected representatives to put into practice constitutionally provisioned power and authority. However, the initial years were marked by confusion and chaos, as the provincial and federal governments failed to draft necessary laws for the functioning of local governments.

Performance and Outcomes of Local Governments

The performance of local governments has been a mixed bag, with issues like patronage, partisan politics, corruption, and rent-seeking hampering progress. However, some local governments have made positive contributions, such as digitizing information and services and upgrading infrastructure.

Overall Assessment and Recognition of Local Governments

Despite the mixed results, local governments have played a major role in reinvigorating social, political, and economic life across Nepal, and their importance in the country’s federal rubric has been widely recognized, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Candidate Selection and Inclusion:

The 2017 local elections in Nepal failed to promote inclusion, with political parties not upholding the spirit of inclusion in candidate selection. This resulted in skewed representation and underrepresentation of marginalized groups in local government. The upcoming 2022 local elections face a similar risk, with party alliances and powerful leaders likely influencing candidate selection. This could undermine the constitutional provision of inclusive political representation at the local level.

Attraction Towards Local Governments vs. Aspiration of Women Deputy Mayors:

A highlight of the last five years has been the emergence of women leaders as deputy mayors. These women aspire to contest for mayoral positions, but political parties are burdened with managing the aspirations of senior leaders. There is a growing attraction towards local governments due to their power and resources. Women deputy mayors express dissatisfaction over the lack of trust in them, but the decision of political parties to carry forward alliances is a setback to their mayoral aspirations.

The cost of campaigns:

The cost of political campaigns in Nepal has become a significant barrier to inclusive representation in local governments. A 2018 report found the 2017 local elections saw total spending of NRs. 69.4 billion, with over NRs. 50 billion spent by candidates and supporters. This means each mayor/deputy mayor candidate spent over a million rupees on average.

The report concluded that the probability of winning increases with higher campaign expenditure. This has led parties to prioritize candidates with deep pockets, as “capacity to fund” is a major selection criterion.

While the 2022 guidelines set spending limits, these are still high and underestimate actual costs. Former NC leader Sashank Koirala claimed spending NRs. 60 million for his last parliamentary race, showing elections are extremely expensive even at the grassroots.

This culture of high spending encourages individuals with money, even with limited experience or popularity, to seek party candidacy. Over 300 contractors were directly elected in 2017. Weak enforcement of the election code of conduct allows the business-politics nexus to persist.

The high costs also lead to shifting loyalties, as local leaders change parties to secure candidacy, especially incumbent mayors. This reflects a broader trend of money politics and clientelism threatening democratic institutions in Nepal.