1.
Nepal
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Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked central Himalayan country in South Asia. Nepal is divided into 7 provinces and 75 districts and 744 local units including 4 metropolises,13 sub-metropolises,246 municipal councils and 481 village and it has a population of 26.4 million and is the 93rd largest country by area. Bordering China in the north and India in the south, east, Nepal does not border Bangladesh, which is located within only 27 km of its southeastern tip. It neither borders Bhutan due to the Indian state of Sikkim being located in between, Nepal has a diverse geography, including fertile plains, subalpine forested hills, and eight of the worlds ten tallest mountains, including Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. Kathmandu is the capital and largest city. It is a nation with Nepali as the official language. The territory of Nepal has a history since the Neolithic age. The name Nepal is first recorded in texts from the Vedic Age, the era which founded Hinduism, in the middle of the first millennium BCE, Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born in southern Nepal. Parts of northern Nepal were intertwined with the culture of Tibet, the Kathmandu Valley in central Nepal became known as Nepal proper because of its complex urban civilization. It was the seat of the prosperous Newar confederacy known as Nepal Mandala, the Himalayan branch of the ancient Silk Road was dominated by the valleys traders. The cosmopolitan region developed distinct traditional art and architecture, by the 18th century, the Gorkha Kingdom achieved the unification of Nepal. The Shah dynasty established the Kingdom of Nepal and later formed an alliance with the British Empire, the country was never colonized but served as a buffer state between Imperial China and Colonial India. In the 20th century, Nepal ended its isolation and forged ties with regional powers. Parliamentary democracy was introduced in 1951, but was suspended by Nepalese monarchs in 1960 and 2005. The Nepalese Civil War resulted in the proclamation of a republic in 2008, modern Nepal is a federal secular parliamentary republic. Nepal is a nation, ranking 144th on the Human Development Index in 2016. The country struggles with the transition from a monarchy to a republic and it also suffers from high levels of hunger and poverty. Despite these challenges, Nepal is making progress, with the government declaring its commitment to elevate the nation from least developed country status by 2022
2.
Singha Durbar
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Singha Durbar is a palace in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The palace complex lies in the centre of Kathmandu, to the north of the Babar Mahal and Thapathali Durbar and this palace was built by Chandra Shumsher JBR in June 1908. It was built by Shumsher immediately after accession to the post of Prime Minister and it was initially a small private residence, but grew bigger during the construction. Immediately after construction Shumsher sold this property to the Government of Nepal for 20 million Nepali rupee as the residence of Prime minister. After his death in 1929, it was used as the residence of prime ministers of Rana dynasty except Padma Shumsher JBR. The last Rana Prime minister to occupy Singha Durbar was Mohan Shumsher JBR, even after the fall of Rana Dynasty in 1951, Mohan used this place, but in 1953 he was ordered by His Majestys Government to leave the palace which became a National Property. The structure was designed by Kumar Narsingh Rana, Kishor Narsingh Rana, the architecture of the palace is a unique example of merging building traditions, including Palladian, Corinthian, Neoclassical mansions along with Baroque architecture. Before the fire of 1973, Singha Durbar had 7 courtyards and 1700 rooms with marbled floor, painted ceilings, silver furniture, the State Hall is the largest and the most decorated room in this palace. Chandra Shumsher built a theater and named it Gallery Baithak. It is used as a parliament building, after the end of the hereditary Prime Minister system, the government of Nepal used this palace compound to house government offices. The palace compound is occupied by both chambers of the Parliament of Nepal and it holds 20 ministries and government offices. Singh Darbar is also the headquarters of Radio Nepal and Nepal Television, on Monday,9 July 1973, a huge fire broke out in Singha Durbar engulfing all three wings of the palace except the front facing wing. To prevent the front wing from catching fire, cannon destroyed three wings facing North, South and West, after the fire was put out, the whole area was rebuilt on the old foundation. Singha Durbar was seriously damaged during the April 2015 Nepal earthquake and it was designated unsafe and was condemned. Babar Mahal Thapathali Durbar Rana palaces of Nepal
3.
Kathmandu
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Kathmandu is the capital city of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, the largest Himalayan state in Asia. Kathmandu is also the largest metropolis in the Himalayan hill region, the city stands at an elevation of approximately 1,400 metres above sea level in the bowl-shaped Kathmandu Valley of central Nepal. The valley is termed as Nepal Proper and has been the home of Newar culture. The city was the capital of the Kingdom of Nepal and hosts palaces. It has been home to the headquarters of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation since 1985, today, it is the seat of government of the Nepalese republic established in 2008, and is part of the Bagmati Zone in Nepalese administrative geography. Kathmandu has been the center of Nepals history, art, culture and it has a multiethnic population within a Hindu and Buddhist majority. Religious and cultural festivities form a part of the lives of people residing in Kathmandu. Tourism is an important part of the economy as the city is the gateway to the Nepalese Himalayas, there are also seven casinos in the city. In 2013, Kathmandu was ranked third among the top ten upcoming travel destinations in the world by TripAdvisor, historic areas of Kathmandu were devastated by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on 25 April 2015. Nepali is the most spoken language in the city, while English is understood by the citys educated residents, the city of Kathmandu is named after Kasthamandap temple, that stood in Durbar Square. In Sanskrit, Kāṣṭha means wood and Maṇḍap means covered shelter and this temple, also known as Maru Satal in the Newar language, was built in 1596 by Biseth in the period of King Laxmi Narsingh Malla. The two-story structure was entirely of wood, and used no iron nails nor supports. According to legend, all the used to build the pagoda was obtained from a single tree. The structure collapsed during the earthquake on 25 April 2015. The colophons of ancient manuscripts, dated as late as the 20th century, the city is called Kāṣṭhamaṇḍap in a vow that Buddhist priests still recite to this day. Thus, Kathmandu is also known as Kāṣṭhamaṇḍap, during medieval times, the city was sometimes called Kāntipur. This name is derived from two Sanskrit words – Kānti and pur, Kānti is a word that stands for beauty and is mostly associated with light and pur means place. Thus, giving it a meaning as City of light, among the indigenous Newar people, Kathmandu is known as Yeṃ Deśa, and Patan and Bhaktapur are known as Yala Deśa and Khwopa Deśa
4.
Khadga Prasad Oli
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Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, more commonly known as K. P. Oli, is a Nepali politician who served as the 38th Prime Minister of Nepal from 11 October 2015 to 3 August 2016. A member of the Communist Party of Nepal, he was the second Prime Minister under the newly adopted Constitution of Nepal, Oli began his political career in 1966. He joined the Communist Party of Nepal in February 1970 and he became involved in subversive politics in opposition to the party-less Panchayat System in place at the time. For his activities, he was arrested for the first time in 1970, a year later he became the District committee member of the party and soon the Chief of the Jhapa Movement Organizing Committee in 1972. Oli was arrested and imprisoned for 14 consecutive years for murders from 1973 to 1987, the murders were attributed to Murkatta revolution, beheading political opponents and landlords. After escaping from jail in 1987, he became a committee member of UML as an in-charge for Lumbini Zone until 1990. He then went on to hold the post of chief of the department of the CPN in 1992. Oli also became the Founder President of the National Democratic Youth Federation of Nepal and he was elected as a member of parliament in the House of Representatives from Jhapa districts electorate no.6 in 1991. Soon he became the chief of the department of publicity, in the ever changing political situation of Nepal, Oli served as Minister of Home Affairs in 1994–1995. He was re-elected to the House of Representatives from Jhapa electorate no.2 in 1999, Oli was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister as part of the interim government in 2006. He was also assigned to look into the death of fellow politician Madan Bhandari, from April 2006 to 2007, Oli was Minister of Foreign Affairs. Oli stood as a candidate in the 2008 Constituent Assembly election, five years later, he won the Jhapa–7 seat in the 2013 Constituent Assembly election as a CPN-UML candidate. He was designated as the Chief of the International Department of the CPN-UML Parliamentary Party, Oli was elected as leader of the CPN-UML Parliamentary Party in the Second Constituent Assembly on 4 February 2014, defeating party chairman Jhala Nath Khanal by a vote of 98 to 75. Oli was subsequently elected as the chairman of CPN-UML in July 2014 and he was elected as Prime Minister in a parliamentary vote on 11 October 2015, receiving 338 votes out of 597. Olis PM candidacy was supported by the UCPN-Maoists, Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal and he was sworn in on 12 October. But CPN-UMLs decision to discuss filed no confidence led to a three-day parliament meeting of the concerned parties. During the process, two major parties, Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Madhesi Rights Forum-Democratic, also removed their support from the coalition. On the third day,24 July 2016, after his answering to the held by the opposition parties
5.
Prime Minister of Nepal
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The position of Prime Minister of Nepal in modern form was called by different names at different times of Nepalese history. Since the inception of the Shah dynasty, the Mul-Kajis served the function of Prime Ministers, in 1806, the position of Mukhtiyar was created by Rana Bahadur Shah, and the title was subsequently adopted. Mukhtiyar is formed from two words, Mukhya and Akhtiyar, Mukhya means Chief and Akhtiyar means Authority. Altogether it means the Executive Head of the State, during the Rana Dynasty, the Prime Minister was also Maharaja of Lambjang and Kaski, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of Nepal and Grand Master of the Royal Orders of Nepal. Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa was the first person to be referred to as Prime Minister by the British, however, the first Mukhtiyar to title himself as Prime Minister, as per the British convention, was Bhimsens nephew, Mathabar Singh Thapa. Few of Nepalese Prime Ministers have carried a democratic mandate, the first elected Prime Minister was Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, in 1959. After he was deposed and imprisoned, Nepal did not have a government until 1990. The monarchy was abolished on 28 May 2008 by the Constituent Assembly, the current Prime Minister is Prachanda, since 4 August 2016. Http, //opmcm. gov. np/en/ King of Nepal President of Nepal
6.
Politics of Nepal
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The politics of Nepal function within a framework of a republic with a multi-party system. Currently, the position of President is occupied by Bidhya Devi Bhandari, the position of Prime Minister is held by Puspa Kamal Dahal. Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and his cabinet, until May 28,2008, Nepal was a constitutional monarchy. On that date, the constitution was altered by the Constituent Assembly to make the country a republic, although he never regained consciousness before dying, Crown Prince Dipendra was nonetheless the king under the law of Nepalese royal succession. After his death two days later, the late Kings surviving brother Gyanendra was proclaimed king, on 1 February 2005 King Gyanendra suspended the Parliament, appointed a government led by himself, and enforced martial law. The King argued that politicians were unfit to handle the Maoist insurgency. Telephone lines were cut and several political leaders were detained. Other opposition leaders fled to India and regrouped there, Nepalese from various walks of life and the international community regarded the MOU as an appropriate political response to the crisis that was developing in Nepal. As per the 12-point MOU, the SPA called for a protest movement, and this led to a countrywide uprising called the Loktantra Andolan that started in April 2006. All political forces including civil society and professional organizations actively galvanized the people and this resulted in massive and spontaneous demonstrations and rallies held across Nepal against King Gyanendras autocratic rule. The peoples participation was so broad, momentous and pervasive that the king feared being overthrown, on 21 April 2006, King Gyanendra declared that power would be returned to the people. This had little effect on the people, who continued to occupy the streets of Kathmandu and other towns, finally King Gyanendra announced the reinstatement the House of Representatives, thereby conceding one of the major demands of the SPA, at midnight on 24 April 2006. Following this action the coalition of political forces decided to call off the protests, twenty-one people died and thousands were injured during the 19 days of protests. On 19 May 2006, the parliament assumed total legislative power, names of many institutions were stripped of the royal adjective and the Raj Parishad was abolished, with his duties assigned to the Parliament itself. The activities of the King became subject to scrutiny and the Kings properties were subjected to taxation. Moreover, Nepal was declared a secular state abrogating the previous status of a Hindu Kingdom, however, most of the changes have, as yet, not been implemented. On 19 July 2006, the minister, G. P. Koirala. On 23 December 2007, an agreement was made for the monarchy to be abolished, a federal republic was established in May 2008, with only four members of the 601-seat Constituent Assembly voting against the change, which ended 240 years of royal rule in Nepal
7.
Constitution of Nepal
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Nepal is governed according to the Constitution which came into effect on Sept 20,2015, replacing the Interim Constitution of 2007. The Constitution was drafted by the Second Constituent Assembly following the failure of the First Constituent Assembly to produce a constitution in its mandated period, the constitution was endorsed by 90% of the total lawmakers. Out of 598 CA members,538 voted in favor of the constitution while 60 voted against it, the Interim Constitution provides for a Constituent Assembly, which was charged with writing Nepals permanent constitution. Under the terms of the Interim Constitution, the new constitution was to be promulgated by April 28,2010, on May 25,2011, the Supreme Court of Nepal ruled that the 2010 extension of the Interim Constitution was not right. Since May 29,2011 the Constituent Assembly repeatedly extended the Interim Constitution, new elections were held on November 19,2013 to the Second Nepalese Constituent Assembly and political leaders pledged to draft a new constitution within a year. The new assembly expressly committed that the new constitution would be promulgated on January 22,2015, the constitution is largely written in gender neutral term. Some of the important aspects of the include the following. The Constitution has divided the nation into seven states and finalized the march of the Nation towards republicanism from constitutional monarchy, bicameral parliamentary system has been created with two houses at the Center and unicameral parliamentary system in each state. Recognizing the rights of women, the constitution of Nepal explicitly states that “women shall have equal ancestral right without any gender-based discrimination. ”Bans any acts leading to conversions from one religion to another and it also prohibits acts that undermine or jeopardize the religion of another. At the same time it declares the nation to be secular, Nepal also has continued to abolish the death penalty. Nepal had abolished death penalty in 1990 after the promulgation of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 1990, the Constitution defines wide range human rights as fundamental rights. Previous constitutions of Nepal were enacted in 1948,1951,1959,1962,1990 and 2007, in 1948, the Government of Nepal Act was enacted. Since the mid-nineteenth century, the country had been a monarchy where the prime ministers, the 1948 document introduced limited democratic elements, but the experiment was not successful due to the misgivings of the Rana rulers to give away power. The Interim Government of Nepal Act 1951 was promulgated after the Revolution of 1951 that the end of the Rana period, the CONSTITUTION OF THE KINGDOM OF NEPAL,1959 followed the previously mentioned interim text. The democratic experiment was short-lived, as in 1962 a new constitution came in to political parties. In this model, panchayats were councils organized at the local level, however, the king exercised much stronger authority than in the 1959 regime. And could modify the constitution or suspend it in case of emergency, in 1990, the first Jana Andolan, Popular Revolt, brought multi-party democracy back to Nepal. OF THE KINGDOM OF NEPAL lifted the ban on parties, described a democratic representative system where the authority of the king was curtailed
8.
President of Nepal
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The President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal is the head of state of Nepal. The office was created after the country was declared a republic in May 2008, the first President of Nepal was Ram Baran Yadav. The current President of Nepal is Bidhya Devi Bhandari, elected in October 2015 and she is the first female head of state of Nepal. The President is to be addressed as The Right Honourable. The President is elected by an electoral college comprising the Parliament of Nepal, whoever receives a majority of the delegates votes is elected. If no one receives a majority in the first round, runoffs are held between the top two candidates until one receives a majority, the presidential term is five years. A President may be elected any number of times, but not more than twice in succession, the Presidents powers are almost entirely ceremonial. In most parliamentary republics, the president is vested with executive powers on paper, but is bound by convention to act on the advice of the prime minister and the government. In Nepal, however, the President is not even the chief executive, as the Constitution explicitly vests executive power in the Council of Ministers. During the suspension of the monarchy, Girija Prasad Koirala, then Prime Minister of Nepal, on 28 May 2008, the Assembly voted to abolish the monarchy. Dr. Ram Baran Yadav won the election from the Constituent Assembly
9.
Bidhya Devi Bhandari
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Bidhya Devi Bhandari is the second and current President of Nepal, elected in 2015. She is the first woman to hold the office and she was the vice-chairperson of the Communist Party of Nepal and chair of the All Nepal Women Association before winning the presidential election on 28 October 2015. She was elected as President in a vote, receiving 327 votes out of 549. In 2016, Forbes placed her 52 in their list of the worlds 100 most powerful women and she previously served as the Minister of Defence of the government of Nepal and was the first woman in Nepal to hold that post. She was also the minister for Environment and population in 1990s, bidhya Devi Bhandari was born on 19 June 1961, in Mane Bhanjyang of Bhojpur, to Ram Bahadur Pandey and Mithila Pandey. Her political career began from a Leftist student union and she got the membership of them Communist Party of Nepal - Marxist-Leninist in 1980, Bhandari was elected twice in parliamentary elections in 1994 and 1999, defeating Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and Damanath Dhungana, respectively. However, she lost during the 2008 Constituent Assembly poll and she held the post of Minister of Defense in the cabinet of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal. The party elected her under the electoral system in the second Constituent Assembly elections in 2013. Bhandari was active in politics from an early age, according to the details provided by the CPN-UML, Bhandari joined politics as an activist of the Youth League of CPN in 1978, from Bhojpur. She played a role as an In-charge for Eastern Zone Committee of ANNFSU from 1979 to 1987 and her active political journey, however, started when she received party membership from the CPN in 1980. After completing her school level study, Bhandari was enrolled in Mahendra Morang Adarsha Multiple Campus where she was elected as a Treasurer for Federation of Students Union. Also, she played a role as a chairperson of the womens wing of GEFONT from 1993 before being elected as UML central committee member in 1997. Her influence in the party remained dominant when she was elected as vice-chairperson of the party in its eighth general convention held in Butwal. Bhandari, who retained her position in the partys general convention, was considered as one of the confident leaders of party chairman. Bhandari was married to Madan Bhandari, a popular Nepalese communist leader, the couple had two daughters, Usha Kiran Bhandari and Nisha Kusum Bhandari. The accident is alleged to have been a murder, but currently remains unsolved, official website of the President of Nepal
10.
Vice President of Nepal
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The position of Vice President of Nepal constitutes the deputy head of state of Nepal and was created when the Nepalese monarchy was abolished in May 2008. The current vice-president of Nepal is Nanda Kishor Pun, on 28 May 2008 the Assembly had voted to abolish the monarchy. However, if one were not forthcoming, they could be elected by a simple majority, the first election was the Nepalese presidential election,2008. The parties failed to agree on candidates for President or Vice President so an election took place, parmananda Jha of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum was elected with the support of the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal The Vice President is to be formally addressed as His Excellency. Vice-presidential election President of Nepal List of current Vice Presidents
11.
House of Representatives (Nepal)
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The House of Representatives was the lower house of parliament during the 1990 Constitution in Nepal. It consisted of 205 members directly elected by the people and it had five-year terms, but it could be dissolved by the king on the advice of the prime minister before the ending of its term. The Pratinidhi Sabha was provisioned by the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 1990 in October 1990, according to which the parliament was formed by the General Election held in April 1991. There were only three elections were held for the House of Representative, General Election 1991 Dissolved by PM Girija Prasad Koirala announcing Mid-term Election. Mid Term Election 1994 General Election 1999 Dissolved by PM Sher Bahadur Deuba announcing Mid-term Election which could not held later,1999 Elected parliament body reinstated by King Gyanendras address in April 2006 and transformed into Interim Legislature Parliament in January 15,2007. The House of Representative as well as the National Assembly has been dissolved on 1 February,2005 by King Gyanendra, political parties in Nepal have been agitating against the royal coup with demand of reinstatement of the parliament. There was a peoples uprising known as Peoples Movement 2006. Finally the king who was using extreme authority was compelled to step down, by the King Gyanendra Address in April 2006 Both houses were reinstated. On January 15,2007, the Pratinidhi Sabha was transformed into interim legislature, the new interim legislature was largely composed of former Pratinidhi Sabha MPs and 79 members from the rebel Communist Party Maoist
12.
Supreme Court of Nepal
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The Supreme Court of Nepal is the highest court in Nepal. It has ultimate jurisdiction over all Appellate and District court. The court consists of twenty Justices and one Chief Justice, the Supreme Court is composed of the Chief Justice, twenty Justices. The Chief Justice is appointed by President on the recommendation of the Constitutional Council, he/She is appointed from among the justices having minimum three years of experience of the Supreme Court. Justices of the Supreme Court are appointed by Chief Justice of Nepal on the recommendation of the Judicial Council, the Registrar and other officers of the Court are appointed by Government of Nepal under the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission. Justices of the Supreme Court hold their office till the age of sixty-five and they may be removed through an Impeach passed by a two third majority of the House of Representatives on the ground of incompetence or bad moral conduct or dishonesty. The Supreme Court was formed on 2013 BS, the first Chief Justice of Nepal is Hari Prasad Pradhan. The present Chief Justice of Nepal is Hon. Kalyan Shrestha, the Registrar is authorized to be worked as an administrative in charge of the Supreme Court. He/She is supposed to be worked according to general guidance of the Chief Justice of Nepal, all the administrative staff use the power delegated by the Registrar. The Supreme Court has both judicial and extra judicial powers, the Supreme Court has judicial powers as follows. The Supreme Court is the guardian of the Constitution, basically, it is responsible for the protection of human rights of the people. Legal and judicial remedies against the violation of the rights are provided under the original writ jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. The writ jurisdiction is commonly known as jurisdiction of the Court. Article 133 of the Constitution has empowered the Supreme Court to issue such as the writs of Habeas Corpus, Mandamus, Certiorari, Quo warranto. According to section 9 of the Administration of Justice Act,1991 the following fall under the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Article 107 of the Constitution has given the power to review its own judgments as specified by the law, according to section 11 of the Administration of Justice Act,1991 judgments delivered by the Supreme Court may be reviewed on any of the following grounds. If any new evidence which could make substantial difference to the decision is found after the delivery of judgment, if the decision is found contrary to the precedent or legal principle established by the Supreme Court. Under section 12 of the Administration of Justice Act,1991 the Supreme Court has power to revise the decisions of the Court of Appeal on the following grounds
13.
Chief Justice of Nepal
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The Chief Justice of Nepal is the head of the judicial branch of Nepal and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of Nepal. The Chief Justice is the highest judicial officer in the country, the first Chief Justice was Justice General Bahadur Sumsher Jung Bahadur Rana. The 24th and current Chief Justice is Sushila Karki, the list of Chief Justices of Nepal are as follows
14.
Elections in Nepal
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Elections in Nepal gives information on election and election results in Nepal. In the 1990 constitution the Parliament had two chambers, the House of Representatives had 205 members elected for a five-year term in single-seat constituencies in 1991,1994 and 1999. The National Assembly had 60 members,35 members elected by the Pratinidhi Sabha,15 representatives of Regional Development Areas and 10 appointed members, Parliament was dissolved by the king in 2002 on the grounds that it was incapable of handling the Maoists rebels. The country’s seven main political parties staged protests against the king, arguing that the parliament be reinstated, an interim parliament was formed in 2006, abolishing the two chambers, and elections of a Constituent Assembly were scheduled for April 10,2008. The Constituent Assembly consists of 601 members,26 of which are appointed, the remaining 240 members were elected using simple plurality in single-member districts. Nepal has a multi-party system, with parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone. Although acts of violence occurred during the period, election observers noted the elections themselves were markedly peaceful. Electoral calendar Electoral system Election Commission Adam Carrs Election Archive The Carter Center information on Nepal
15.
Election Commission, Nepal
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The Election Commission, Nepal is the Constitutional body responsible for monitoring elections, as well as registering parties and candidates and reporting election outcomes, in Nepal. It was born out of the 1950 revolution in Nepal, and was established in law in 1951 and it has six members who serve for six-year terms, as established by the Interim Constitution of Nepal. During the Constituent Assembly elections in 2008, it was criticized for not fully upholding its duties, the first election commissioner was Subarna Shumsher Rana in 1951A. D. The year 1950 was important in the history of Nepal, in year, the Rana dynasty. The coup détat marked Nepals first attempt at democracy, one of the goals of the revolution was to eventually establish the Nepalese Constituent Assembly. The democratic experiment was short-lived, in less than ten years, however, another major accomplishment was the establishment of the National Election Commission in 1951. The commission was declared by law to be independent of the government in 1966 and this has been confirmed by Nepals interim constitution in 2007. It has five members, consisting of the Chief Election Commissioner, the members serve for 6 years. In order to enforce its election guidelines, the commission employs a group of around 240,000 officials, mostly civil servants, when the commission was established, the members were chosen by the King. In 1989, King Birendras constitution declared that the Chief Election Commissioner would still be appointed by the king, the interim constitution further amended the bodys composition in 2006, all five members were made under appointment of the Prime Minister. The commission came under criticism during the Constituent Assembly elections for failing to enforce the code of conduct during elections. It also failed to educate voters about the election. However, it was acknowledged to have helped the elections run smoothly overall
16.
Nepalese presidential election, 2008
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An indirect presidential election was held in Nepal on 19 July 2008 with a presidential run-off on 21 July. The Nepalese Constituent Assembly elected in April 2008 elected a new President and Vice-President after the Fifth Amendment to the Interim Constitution was passed on 14 July and this would be the first President to be elected after Nepal became a republic a few months earlier. The leading political parties, Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal, the Nepali Congress wanted Prime Minister and interim Head of State Girija Prasad Koirala while the Communist Party of Nepal wanted its former Secretary-General Madhav Kumar Nepal as President. However, the Communist Party of Nepal wants an independent figure as President rather than party figures such as Koirala or Nepal, the Maoists won the most seats in the CA, though their party needs to form a coalition government with the other parties. The election is conducted by the Office of the Election Officer, on 16 July 2008 OEO released a voters list of 593 CA members. The CA was 601 seats in total, but by-elections are due in five constituencies, negotiations between CPN and CPN appeared to have broken down by 17 July 2008 so the three major parties all nominated their own candidates for president and vice-president. All three main candidates were Madhesis. The largest Madhesi party, the MJF, announced that theyd support Singh as president,578 CA members participated in the poll on 19 July 2008. Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Rastriya Janamorcha, the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party, the sole CA member of the Chure Bhawar Rastriya Ekta Party, Keshav Prasad Mainali, only participated in the vice-presidential poll. On 19 July, Parmananda Jha was declared the first Vice President of Nepal, Jha received 305 votes beating his nearest rival Shanta Shrestha from the Communist Party of Nepal with 243 votes. However, the President of Nepal could not be elected as neither candidate got a clear majority, Ram Baran Yadav received 283 votes and Ram Raja Prasad Singh won 270 votes. A run-off election was called for. On 21 July, Ram Baran Yadav of the Nepali Congress and his rival was Ram Raja Prasad Singh, nominated by the CPN. Kul Bahadur Gurung, the speaker of constituent assembly, declared Ram Yadav winner of second-round presidential election on Monday, Yadav would be the first President of Nepal after it became a republic. The new President will replace the deposed King Gyanendra as the head of the state, presidential electionSource, www. nepalnews. com Vice-presidential election Election Commission of Nepal
17.
Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, 2008
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A general election for the Constituent Assembly was held in Nepal on 10 April 2008 after having been postponed from earlier dates of 7 June 2007 and 22 November 2007. The Nepalese Constituent Assembly will draft a new constitution, it will decide, amongst other things. The number of voters was around 17.5 million. The Constituent Assembly will have a term of two years, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal, or CPN, placed first in the election with 220 out of 575 elected seats, and became the largest party in the Constituent Assembly. It was followed by the Nepali Congress with 110 seats and the Communist Party of Nepal with 103 seats, after months of power-sharing discussions and deliberations, CPN Chairman Prachanda was elected as Prime Minister in August 2008. Due to its failure in drafting a new constitution, the CA was dissolved on 28 May 2012 after its original and extended total tenure of 4 years. The first delay for holding the assembly occurred due to the lack of preparation on behalf of the Election Commission as well as the seven parties that were at the helm of the government. A compromise was agreed to on 4 November, the election would use a proportional system. On 4 November, most parties in the parliament voted in favour of a Maoist proposal calling for a fully proportional election system. However, a majority could not be achieved because the then largest party in the parliament, Nepali Congress. On 15 December, the government considered an amendment to the constitution, as specified in the Election to Members of the Constituent Assembly Act, party list representation will be calculated using a result divisor method, the Sainte-Laguë method. The seats for first-past-the-post elections remained at 240, making the total number 601 seats instead of the earlier 497, the word republic was also included, but will have to be confirmed by the Constituent Assembly. The agreement was adopted on 23 December 2007 by the government. The interim parliament approved the deal on 28 December, with 270 in favor, the Election Commission gave the parties which wished to register for the polls a new deadline of 14 January 2008, parties which had previously registered did not have to re-register. On 11 January, the Cabinet decided to hold the election on 10 April, ahead of the election, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal party sought to form a front of royalist parties. Another monarchist alliance, Samyukta Samabeshi Morcha, was formed before the election. An estimated 60% of the 17.6 million voters cast ballots, the election held great symbolic value for many in the impoverished Himalayan nation, where 60% of the 27 million people are under age 35 and many voted for the first time. The Maoists left the government on 18 September 2007, citing the non-fulfillment of their demands
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Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, 2013
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Constituent Assembly elections were held in Nepal on 19 November 2013. The Nepali Congress emerged as the largest party in the 2nd Nepalese Constituent Assembly, the kings powers were also removed and an election was held in 2008 to elect a Constituent Assembly. The Constituent Assembly was tasked with writing a new constitution, however, its deadline was extended several times, in the lead up to the deadline, there were several violent protests by a variety of ethnic groups outside the Parliament building. Rallies were then banned in the area and around the PMs office with riot police guarding against protests, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai called for a new election on 22 November after the deadline passed, with a possibility of a state of emergency. A member of his party, Post Bahadur Bogati, announced that it is not possible to promulgate the constitution within the deadline now and that possibility is out,100 percent. On the deadline day there were large protests as talks between the CPN, Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal and the Madhesi Front were ongoing, CPN member Narayankaji Shrestha said that a constitution is not possible without federal states recognising the identity of ethnic groups. The opponents of the proposal said the move could lead to tensions amongst different castes, ram Sharan Mahat of the Nepali Congress said that the CPN want to kill the assembly, not make the constitution in order to stay in power. At a cabinet session that night CPN general secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Ishwor Pokhrel walked out saying that the move was unconstitutional, neither is it based on political consensus. However, the Madhesi leader Laxman Lal Karna said that in the afternoon, the NC and we have done the democratic thing. The CPN s Barsha Man Pun then announced the election saying that we had no other alternative and we apologise for not being able to prepare the constitution. The Nepali Congress claimed the delays were a ploy by the UCPN to remain in power, in mid-September 2013, an opposition one-day strike called for the cancellation of the election. In mid-2011, an opinion indicated that 45% of respondents opposed an extension of the CAs mandate, a majority of respondents were uncertain about who they would vote for. Similarly, there were calls for an election by opposition politicians at the time. Most respondents also said a new constitution was the top most priority. In the Himal Media opinion poll conducted in March 2013, voters expressed a preference for the Nepali Congress,14. 9%, over the CPN,11. 3%. In the morning of the election, a bomb exploded near a voting station wounding three people after a boy picked up what he though was a toy that then exploded and it also follows days of similar attacks by those opposed to the election. On December 16, Mohan Baidya, Chairman of the breakaway CPN which had boycotted the elections publicly stated his party had planted bombs across the country prior to the elections. Voters turned out in numbers with nation-wide turnout averaging 78. 34% breaking the previous record of 68. 15% in the 1991 general elections
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Administrative divisions of Nepal
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The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal is a country situated in South Asia between India and China. Administratively Nepal is divided into Provinces, Districts, Village development committees, Metropolitan areas, on Mar 10,2017 government of Nepal has adopted 744 local body system fulfilling the requirement of the new constitution of Nepal 2015. All old municipalities and villages are restructured in total 744 new Municipalities and Villages, all old 75 district development committees are also replaced by new 75 District Coordination Committee which will have much less power than DDC. As of 20 September 2015 Nepal is divided into 7 provinces and they are defined by schedule 4 of the new constitution, by grouping together the existing districts. Two districts however are split in two parts ending up in two different provinces, there are 75 Districts in Nepal Municipalities are the cities having at least some minimum criteria of population and infrastructure and declared as a municipality by the government. There are 130 municipalities in Nepal including 72 new declared in May 2014, the capital city Kathmandu is a Metropolitan city and there are other four sub-metropolitan cities Biratnagar, Pokhara, Lalitpur & Birganj. National Association of Village Development Committees in Nepal was established in the year 1996 as an organization to represent. Prior to September 2015, Nepal was divided into 5 Development regions Prior to September 2015 the development regions Nepal were further divided into 14 Zones
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Foreign relations of Nepal
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The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal has traditionally maintained a non-aligned policy and enjoys friendly relations with neighboring countries. As a landlocked country wedged between two larger and far stronger powers, Nepal maintains good relations with Peoples Republic of China, relationship with India has observed ups and downs. Indian governments repeated attempts to deny Nepal Transit rights via India and the issues of border disputes have significantly hampered the relationship between the two countries. Constitutionally, foreign policy is to be guided by principles of the United Nations Charter, nonalignment, Panchsheel, international law. The countrys external relations are managed by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Nepals relation with China has seen an upswing in the recent years with China now becoming Nepals 3rd largest aid donor. Nepal has played a role in the formation of the economic development-oriented South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and is the site of its secretariat. On international issues, Nepal follows a policy and often votes with the Non-Aligned Movement in the United Nations. Nepal participates in a number of UN specialized agencies and is a member of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Colombo Plan, in 2000, the government established the National Human Rights Commission, a government-appointed commission with a mandate to investigate human rights violations. To date, the Commission has investigated 51 complaints, although freedom of expression is widely used as constitutional right, some minor problems regarding it have been reported in the country. Trafficking in women and child labour remain serious problems, a joint border commission continues to work on small disputed sections of the border with India. Currently Nepal has border disputes with India at Lipulekh and Kalapani in Darchula district, Nepal has been a member of the World Trade Organization since 11 September 2003 and on 24 January 2017 became the 108th WTO member to ratify the WTOs Trade Facilitation Agreement. Both countries established diplomatic relations on 23 May 1972, Nepal and Argentina established diplomatic relations on January 1,1962. The relations between Nepal and Argentina are based on goodwill, friendship and mutual understanding, the Argentinean Government has shown interest to extend technical cooperation on leather processing industries in Nepal under the South-South Cooperation. However, the Argentinean proposal has not been materialized yet, Nepals trade balance with Argentina is in favour of Argentina. There is no significant figure of export from Nepal, major commodities imported by Nepal from Argentina are Crude soybean oil, soybean oil, vegetable waxes, sun flower oil and maize. Nepal recognised Bangladesh on 16 January 1972 and relations improved after the military coup on August 1975. The turning point for the two occurred in April 1976, signing a four-point agreement on technical cooperation, trade, transit
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Nepalese passport
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Nepalese passports are issued to the citizens of Nepal for international travel. Ordinary Nepalese passports are green, with the Coat of arms of Nepal emblazoned in the center of the front cover, the words Nepali, राहदानी and नेपाल are inscribed above the coat of arms and words English, PASSPORT and NEPAL are inscribed below the coat of arms. The ordinary passport contains 32 pages.00 as fees for an Ordinary passport for urgent processing, urgent processing is done by the ministry of foreign affairs and takes 7 days. Normal processing takes around 4 weeks but sometime it may take up to 6 weeks and is done from the Chief District officers office, however, the Official and the Diplomatic passports are exempted from fees. However, as per new regulation, validity is for 5 years in case of minor under 10 years of age, as a member of International Civil Aviation Organisation Nepal is obliged to issue machine-readable passports after 2010. Nepal stopped issuing hand-written passports on March 31,2010, all traditional hand written passports were honoured as a bona fide travel document issued by the Nepalese Government until 24 November 2015. All traditional passports must be withdrawn from circulation as of November 2015, note, Nepal has now introduced machine readable passports from 26 December 2010. Passports are not needed by citizens of India and Nepal to travel within each country by land or by air. In 2016, Nepalese citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 37 countries and territories, department of Passport Visa policy of Nepal Visa requirements for Nepalese citizens
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Nepalese Civil War
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The Maoist was an armed conflict against The Government of Nepal fought from 1996 to 2006. The rebellion was launched by the Communist Party of Nepal on 13 February 1996 with the aim of overthrowing the Nepalese monarchy. It ended with the Comprehensive Peace Accord signed on 21 November 2006, More than 19,000 people were killed during the conflict. National Geographic Magazine, p.54, November 2005, douglas lists the following figures, Nepalis killed by Maoists from 1996 to 2005,4,500. Nepalis killed by government in same period,8,200. however, communist groups uncomfortable with the alliance between ULF and Congress formed a parallel front, the United National Peoples Movement. The UNPM called for elections to a Constituent Assembly, and rejected compromises made by ULF, in November 1990 the Communist Party of Nepal was formed, including key elements of constituents of UNPM. The new party held its first convention in 1991, the adopted a line of protracted armed struggle on the route to a new democratic revolution, the CPN set up Samyukta Jana Morcha, with Baburam Bhattarai as its head, as an open front ten contest elections. In the 1991 elections, SJM became the force in the Nepali parliament. However, disagreements surged regarding which tactics were to be used by the party, One sector argued for immediate armed revolution whereas others claimed that Nepal was not yet ripe for armed struggle. In 1994 CPN/SJM was split in two, the militant faction later renamed itself the Communist Party of Nepal. The Maoists labeled the government forces feudal forces, and included in this accusation was the monarchy, the armed struggle began soon afterward with simultaneous attacks on remote police stations and district headquarters. Initially, the Nepali government mobilized the Nepal Police to contain the insurgency, the Royal Nepal Army was not involved in direct fighting because the conflict was regarded as a matter for the police to sustain control. Furthermore, controversy regarding the army not assisting the police during insurgent attacks in remote areas. The popularly elected prime minister resigned his post, due to the refusal of the Royal Army to take part in the conflict and this situation changed dramatically in 2002 when the first session of peace talks failed and the Maoists attacked an army barracks in Dang District in western Nepal. Overnight, the army was unleashed against the insurgents, mobilizing both tanks and artillery and this material support to the Nepali government dried up after King Gyanendra seized full control in February 2005 to get rid of civil war for once and all. The government responded to the rebellion by banning provocative statements about the monarchy, imprisoning journalists, several rounds of negotiations, accompanied by temporary cease-fires, were held between the insurgents and the government. The government categorically rejected the demand for an election to the constituent assembly. At the same time, the Maoists refused to recognize the installation of a constitutional monarchy, throughout war, the government controlled the main cities and towns, whilst the Maoist dominated the rural areas
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Nepali language
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Nepali, originally known as Khas Kura, Parbate Bhasa or Gorkhali, is an Indo-Aryan language. It is the language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal. It is also spoken in parts of India, particularly by Indian Gorkha. In India, Nepali language is listed in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India having a status in the Indian state of Sikkim. Nepali developed in proximity to a number of Indo-Aryan languages, most notably the Pahari languages and Magahi, however, owing to Nepals geographical area, it has also been influenced by Tibeto-Burman languages. Nepali is mainly differentiated from Central Pahari, both in grammar and vocabulary, by Tibeto-Burman idioms owing to close contact with the language group. Nepali language shares 40% lexical similarity with the Bengali language, in the nineteenth century, the British resident at Kathmandu Brian Houghton Hodgson observed that it was, in eight-tenths of its vocabulary, substantially Hindi. Historically, the language was first called the Khas language, then Gorkhali or Gurkhali before the term Nepali was adopted, in 1920, during Rana regime in Nepal, the term Nepal which resembled the Nepal Mandala was taken from its people. Soon after that, Nepal Bhasa was renamed into Newari and Parbate/Khas language took over as Nepali language, other names include Parbatiya and Dzongkha Lhotshammikha. It is also known as the Khey language or Partya language among the Newar people and Pahari language among Madhesi, however, due to protests for identity, Newars have restored their languages name as Nepal Bhasa and voices have been raise to re-instate Parbate language in its original name. Nepali developed a significant literature within a period of a hundred years in the 19th century. This literary explosion was fueled by Adhyatma Ramayana, Sundarananda Bara, Birsikka, a collection of folk tales. The contribution of trio-laureates Lekhnath Paudyal, Laxmi Prasad Devkota, the contribution of expatriate writers outside Nepal, especially in Darjeeling and Varanasi in India, is also notable. In the past decade, there have been many contributions to Nepali literature from the Nepali diaspora in Asia, Europe, America, according to the 2011 national census,44.6 percent of the population of Nepal speaks Nepali as a first language. The Ethnologue website reports 12,300,000 speakers within Nepal, Nepali is traditionally spoken in the Hill Region of Nepal, especially in the western part of the country. Although the Newar language dominated the Kathmandu valley, Nepali is currently the most dominant, Nepali is used in government and as the everyday language of a growing portion of the local population. Nevertheless, the use of Nepali in the courts and government of Nepal is being challenged. Recognition of other languages in Nepal was one of the objectives of the Communist Party of Nepals long war
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Kingdom of Nepal
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The Kingdom of Nepal, also known as the Kingdom of Gorkha, was a kingdom formed in 1768 by the unification of Nepal. Founded by King Prithvi Narayan Shah, a Gorkhali monarch of Rajput origin, during this period, Nepal was formally under the rule of the Shah dynasty, which exercised varying degrees of power during the kingdoms existence. During the early-nineteenth century, however, the expansion of the East India Companys rule in India led to the Anglo-Nepalese War, beginning with Jung Bahadur, the first Rana ruler, the Rana dynasty reduced the Shah monarch to a figurehead role. Rana rule was marked by tyranny, debauchery, economic exploitation, the mid-twentieth century began an era of moves towards the democratisation of Nepal. In 1923, Britain formally recognised Nepalese sovereignty and ended its protectorate, but continued to exercise political influence through the Rana rulers and its rule in India, which ended in 1947. In July 1950, the independent republic of India signed a friendship treaty in which both nations agreed to respect the others sovereignty. With Indian support for a new government consisting largely of the Nepali Congress, unsuccessful attempts were made to implement reforms and a constitution during the 1960s and 1970s. An economic crisis at the end of the 1980s led to a movement which brought about parliamentary elections. The 1990s saw the beginning of the Nepalese Civil War, a conflict between government forces and the insurgent forces of the Communist Party of Nepal, as a result of the massacre, King Gyanendra returned to the throne. His imposition of rule in 2005 provoked a protest movement unifying the Maoist insurgency and pro-democracy activists. He was eventually forced to restore Nepals House of Representatives, which in 2007 adopted an interim constitution greatly restricting the powers of the Nepalese monarchy. Until the abolition of the monarchy, Nepal was the only country to have Hinduism as its state religion. Prithvi Narayan Shah dedicated himself at an age to the conquest of the Kathmandu Valley and the creation of a single state. The country was called the Gorkha Kingdom. In addition, he says that Gorkhali take their name from the legendary eighth-century Hindu warrior-saint Guru Gorakhnath, a more detailed description of Chauhans thesis is available under the first three sections in the entry on the Gorkha Kingdom. More importantly, Chauhans overall thesis claiming the existence of a Gurkha identity way before the Shahs came to the Nepali hills is not supported by historical evidence available in Nepal. In Nepal the warrior people are not referred to as Gurkhas, they are called Gorkhalis and their famed battle cry is Ayo Gorkhali, meaning the Gorkhali has come. The etymology of the geographical name Gorkha is indeed related to the Hindu mendicant-saint Gorakhnath, in the village of Gorkha is situated a temple dedicated to Gorakhnath as well as another dedicated to Gorakhkali, a corresponding female deity
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Head of state
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A head of state is the public persona that officially represents the national unity and legitimacy of a sovereign state. In some countries, the head of state is a figurehead with limited or no executive power, while in others. Former French president Charles de Gaulle, while developing the current Constitution of France, some academic writers discuss states and governments in terms of models. An independent nation state normally has a head of state, the non-executive model, in which the head of state has either none or very limited executive powers, and mainly has a ceremonial and symbolic role. In parliamentary systems the head of state may be merely the chief executive officer, heading the executive branch of the state. This accountability and legitimacy requires that someone be chosen who has a majority support in the legislature and it also gives the legislature the right to vote down the head of government and their cabinet, forcing it either to resign or seek a parliamentary dissolution. In parliamentary constitutional monarchies, the legitimacy of the head of state typically derives from the tacit approval of the people via the elected representatives. In reality, numerous variants exist to the position of a head of state within a parliamentary system, usually, the king had the power of declaring war without previous consent of the parliament. For example, under the 1848 constitution of the Kingdom of Italy, the Statuto Albertino—the parliamentary approval to the government appointed by the king—was customary, so, Italy had a de facto parliamentarian system, but a de jure presidential system. These officials are excluded completely from the executive, they do not possess even theoretical executive powers or any role, even formal, hence their states governments are not referred to by the traditional parliamentary model head of state styles of His/Her Majestys Government or His/Her Excellencys Government. Within this general category, variants in terms of powers and functions may exist, the constitution explicitly vests all executive power in the Cabinet, who is chaired by the prime minister and responsible to the Diet. The emperor is defined in the constitution as the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people and he is a ceremonial figurehead with no independent discretionary powers related to the governance of Japan. Today, the Speaker of the Riksdag appoints the prime minister, Cabinet members are appointed and dismissed at the sole discretion of the prime minister. In contrast, the contact the President of Ireland has with the Irish government is through a formal briefing session given by the taoiseach to the president. However, he or she has no access to documentation and all access to ministers goes through the Department of the Taoiseach. The president does, however, hold limited reserve powers, such as referring a bill to the court to test its constitutionality. The most extreme non-executive republican Head of State is the President of Israel, semi-presidential systems combine features of presidential and parliamentary systems, notably a requirement that the government be answerable to both the president and the legislature. The constitution of the Fifth French Republic provides for a minister who is chosen by the president
