The Gen-G movement of Bhadra 24, 2082, toppled the then CPN-UML and Nepali Congress coalition government. Then, on Bhadra 27, a government led by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki was formed. The main task of the interim government is to hold general elections on Falgun 21 and hand over power to the elected government.

Elections are not just a technical process, they are also an opportunity to test the vitality of democratic institutions, the enthusiastic participation of political parties, and the trust of voters. Under normal circumstances, the Election Commission has the capacity to conduct elections within 120 days, or four months, of the announcement of the date, but this is an unusual situation.

After the Gen-G movement, during the preparations for this election, the morale of the country's security agencies, mainly the Nepal Police and the civil service, has declined. This has posed a challenge to the issue of conducting elections in a clean, fair, and fear-free environment. There is suspicion everywhere—due to security, the elections will be held on time or not, in a peaceful and fear-free environment! 

Inevitability: The

interim government's responsibility for rebuilding democratic institutions is to conduct elections on time, investigate corruption, conduct fair investigations into protest incidents, and rebuild damaged government structures. There are only about 4 and a half months left from the scheduled date for the elections to be held. Making elections free, fair, credible and inclusive does not mean just counting ballots or setting up polling stations, but rather involving the entire state machinery in the spirit of democracy. And, a period of 4 and a half months is definitely not enough for this.

The frustration and laxity seen in the current security and administrative machinery has emerged as the main obstacle for the Falgun 21 elections. During the Gen-G movement, Nepal Police offices and service delivery points (many public structures) from the federal capital to the provincial, district and local levels have been destroyed. The attacks and damage caused during the movement have deeply damaged the morale of the employees. Security personnel have also been attacked, police personnel have lost their lives, some have been injured, and several vehicles of the security forces have been reduced to ashes in fires. The violent behavior of the protesters has created deep insecurity and fear among security personnel from the center to the grassroots level.

Even if police posts have been restored with the active participation of local communities in some places, the restoration of depleted human morale will not happen overnight. The cornerstone of a fair and free election is that voters, candidates, observers and security personnel deployed in the election feel completely safe. The security personnel themselves are in a vulnerable and relaxed state of mind, how can the election be made successful? This is a question that needs to be discussed now. 

It has been one and a half months since the formation of the new government and the election is just around the corner. However, the government has not done anything to boost the morale of the demoralized and relaxed police personnel. The government has not even thought about that issue. 

Details of the protest

The damage done to the state machinery by the violent protests on Bhadra 24 can hardly be forgotten in the history of Nepal. According to official figures, at least 72 people have died in this protest, including 3 Nepal Police personnel. Thousands have been injured, in which although the number of protesters is high, security personnel have also been affected in significant numbers. A total of 455 police barracks and offices across the country have been vandalized and set on fire. Of these, 107 are estimated to have been completely damaged and 258 are partially damaged. There has also been a large number of arson and vandalism in government offices and public buildings at the federal, provincial and local levels. 

The most alarming issue is that about 1,100 different types of weapons have been looted during the protests. The condition of offices, barracks and vehicles used by police personnel is still deplorable. The trust of the public, the confidence of security personnel and the morale of civil servants have been seriously affected. The police have had to work at the risk of their lives. 

After the Gen-G protests, fatigue, fear and dissatisfaction have increased among the police, which could affect sensitive work like elections. In addition, about 14,555 prisoners escaped from 29 different jails and correctional facilities across the country during the protests. Of these, only about 5,893 have been caught so far, while the remaining about 8,550 are absconding. The fact that so many prisoners are out is another security challenge in the upcoming elections.

Security challenges in election management

A large number of human resources and resources are required to conduct a general election in Nepal. Based on the experience of the 2079 BS general election, the same level of preparation is indispensable for the Falgun 21 election. About 200,000 security personnel were deployed in the 2079 BS election. The damage to the physical infrastructure and vehicles of the security personnel due to the Gen-G movement has seriously reduced their mobility and functional capacity.

According to the Election Commission, about 268,594 personnel (polling officers, assistants, counting personnel) were deployed in the 2079 BS election. And, there were more than 22,227 polling stations in Nepal in that election, for which at least 5-7 personnel are required at each center. An additional 50,000 personnel are required for counting votes. Thus, the total number of personnel exceeds 300,000. It would be risky to conduct an election without ensuring the security and morale of all these personnel.

More than 5,000 vehicles (2,000 police vehicles, 1,000 Election Commission vehicles and 2,000 other government vehicles) were used in 2079. The destruction of police vehicles will seriously hamper the transportation of ballot boxes, patrolling and the deployment of security teams. Looking at these figures, it is difficult to ignore the damage caused by the Gen-G movement and the Falgun 21 elections will be successful. 

International experiences

Nepal can learn from the experience of countries that have held elections within a short period of time after major movements. In a successful example, Tunisia held elections within 10 months of the movement in 2011. The interim government achieved success in this through security reforms, morale-boosting programs and civil society participation. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned after the 2024 student protests in Bangladesh. The interim government of Bangladesh had planned elections in 2025. However, since it is difficult to restore security and morale in a short period of time, i.e. 6 months, and to form an international observer and reform commission, the current new elections have been decided to be held by April 2026. Sri Lanka held elections within two years of the 2022 uprising, in which economic reforms and security training played a role.

Based on international experience, the main lesson Nepal needs to learn is the neutrality of the security forces. Unless the general public and the parties participating in the elections feel the neutrality of the security forces, they cannot participate in the elections fearlessly. Therefore, it is an essential prerequisite to ensure neutrality by keeping the security forces completely free from political interference throughout the election period. The damaged police barracks, offices, etc. should be reconstructed by reviewing the election security plan, identifying sensitive areas, ensuring the security of polling stations and voting materials. The process of retrieving or purchasing vehicles and security equipment should be started immediately.

A full investigation into the repression, violence, and sabotage should be started immediately, and the justice process should be initiated immediately, and relief and compensation should be provided to the families of the dead and injured. And only if the culprits can be taken to court under the legal process will justice and trust be given to the security personnel and citizens. Special training, health facilities, risk allowances (bonuses), and counseling programs should be conducted to encourage the police and employees who are currently in a weak state. Ensuring treatment and relief for injured security personnel, social security for the sick and deceased families will increase trust in the government. 

The success of the election basically depends on citizen participation. For this, civil society and the media should be actively included in the observation, training and public awareness programs. The public should be given clear information that ‘voting centers will be safe’. The safety of candidates should be ensured and the electoral code of conduct and fairness should be taken seriously. 

The main reasons for the failure of the election are security weaknesses, political interference and lack of public trust. Therefore, the government needs to take international cooperation into account. Credibility will increase by involving international election observers and regulatory organizations.

Immediate steps

It seems that the government should take some immediate steps to hold the election within the next 140 days. First, reconstruction of the damaged police office. Second, announcement of a special morale-boosting package for police personnel and employees to restore morale, which includes risk allowance, excellent health care and compensation, psychosocial counseling, etc.

Third, impartial investigation of the protest incidents. In order to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future, the focus should be on restructuring the security agencies. Fourth, a corruption investigation commission should be formed and action against the corrupt should be intensified. This plays an important role in increasing public participation in the election and public trust in the government. Fifth, the absconding prisoners should be arrested immediately and the looted weapons should be searched for without delay. And, sixth, the security plan of the polling station should be reconsidered in coordination with the Election Commission and a 'backup' plan should be prepared, high-risk areas should be identified and a strategy should be formulated. 

Responsibility of stakeholders 

The role of not only the interim government but also all stakeholders is important in making the upcoming elections successful. Political parties should fully comply with the election code of conduct. Clear instructions should be given to their workers to stay away from violent activities.

It is the primary responsibility of the parties to make the campaign peaceful and dignified. The parties should appeal publicly to boost the morale of the weakened security agencies. In addition, assistance should be provided in the reconstruction of damaged physical infrastructure. If any political impasse arises on the eve of the election, the parties should express their commitment to find a solution through dialogue and consensus. 

The Election Commission should act completely neutrally in accordance with its constitutional obligations. The main challenge of the Commission is to make the election process credible without being influenced by any political party or force. The Commission should formulate a special security plan for the mobilization of staff at polling stations and the transportation of ballot boxes, keeping in mind the low morale of the security forces. An effective plan should be implemented in coordination with the government and international bodies to replace damaged vehicles and material resources. To increase the credibility of the election and ensure voter participation, a comprehensive voter education program should be conducted, especially targeting the new voters, Gen-G.