Prime Minister Sushila Karki said calls for the restoration of the dissolved House of Representatives and questioning the legitimacy of the government could plunge the country back into a vicious cycle of instability. She also stated that any party that decides to boycott the March 5 elections will be seen as voting for anarchy.
It was only on Tuesday that a meeting of the CPN-UML, the second largest party in the dissolved lower house, decided to petition the Supreme Court against the dissolution.
After the previous government led by CPN-UML chief KP Sharma Oli was toppled by the Generation Z insurgency on September 9, Karki, a former chief justice, was appointed prime minister on September 12. On the same day, President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives on her recommendation. Karki's interim government is preparing to hold parliamentary elections on March 5. At least 76 people were killed in the protests as the Oli government used brutal force against unarmed youth protesting against corruption.
The CPN-UML plans to file the lawsuit on Sunday, although the Supreme Court has already begun hearing several other petitions from advocates against the dissolution.
At a meeting of political parties registered with the Election Commission, the prime minister said such actions – calling for the restoration of the House of Representatives – would undermine the democratic process and contribute to instability, according to a statement from her private secretariat.
With this statement, she reaffirmed the government's commitment to holding elections and called on political parties to participate constructively in the electoral process.
At a time when some party leaders have expressed concern over the government's unwillingness to work with political parties to create a conducive environment for elections, Prime Minister Karki called a meeting of all political parties registered with the Election Commission to hear their grievances.
She stressed that a party that does not register with the Commission or chooses to boycott the elections will be seen as choosing anarchy and not defending democracy.
She called on parties to register with the commission by November 26, stressing that this is a mandatory step for participation in the upcoming elections. Her statement underscored the importance of legal and constitutional processes in ensuring a stable and democratic electoral environment.
“Even after the election announcement, some parties continue to show uncertainty and remain on the sidelines. Demands for the restoration of the House of Representatives and questioning the legitimacy of the government could lead the nation back into a vicious circle of instability,” she said.
She assured that the government had no ambiguity regarding its constitutional position. “Conducting the House of Representatives elections on March 5 is our constitutional duty and an unwavering political commitment to the people,” she added.
Karki urged political parties to seek a constitutional solution. “If we continue to call for the restoration of the dissolved House of Representatives, it will only confirm that we are trying to repeat the political disasters of the past,” she said, adding: “That is why we must now focus the political debate on the constitutional way out, which is elections.”
She also announced concrete steps to reduce election spending, curb misuse of resources and regulate pre-election hiring. Political parties have only 21 days to campaign, which can contribute to transparency and austerity in the elections, she added.
This government's main priority is security and good governance, the prime minister said, “and without restoring your confidence, elections cannot be successful.”
“The recent youth uprising has called for an end to the tendency to protect brokers, middlemen, the corrupt and the mafia. We fully respect this voice. Youth discontent is not just a law and order problem; it is a demand for structural and political reforms,” the Prime Minister said.
“We want to convert the anger of the youth into the positive energy of the election,” she told party leaders. “We want to bring the street protests to the political table. To achieve this, reforms in electoral law will be introduced through a regulation that will significantly increase the participation of young people in the electoral process,” she added.
The government is also taking steps to ensure accountability and transparency, she said.
“The violent incidents during the Generation Z uprising will be investigated impartially and expeditiously and the perpetrators will be held accountable,” she said, sharing some details about how the government is working to restore good governance.