On the Constituent Assembly Election

The formation of an elected Constituent Assembly, which would draft a new constitution, has been an unfulfilled dream in Nepal for half a century. Finally, the 2006 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended the decade-long Maoist insurgency, paved the way for its realisation. The political leaders desperately sought a person who could lead this process.

“This country has invested so much in you. And now when the country needs you, you are running away from your responsibilities. Aren't you betraying your motherland?” These were the powerful words of the octogenarian Prime Minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, the icon of Nepal's peace process—who pressurised me into accepting the position of Chief Election Commissioner. This was an offer I had turned down several times before. After serving almost 27 years in public service, I was not interested in going back into that sector. Furthermore, the King had used extra-constitutional powers to reject my name for the same position in 2003, so I had no interest in the post.

The day I was appointed, 30 October 2006, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was yet to be finalised and the Interim Constitution was far from being drafted. But I was strongly advised, by all the key political leaders, that I should not waste a single minute and start preparations as soon as possible for the Constituent Assembly election expected for mid-June 2007.