Nepal used to be a kingdom—a Hindu kingdom. The civil war ended that. It was a long ordeal, full of bloodshed. Finally, a democracy emerged with a constitution and, after many prime ministers, its first stable government whereby the two most popular parties united (both communist) to forge a new stable future for the small Asian nation to find its best footing forward.
The two sides formed an alliance whereby one factions’ leader would split the five-year term and lead as prime minister for two-and-a-half years giving way for the other faction to enjoy the same. The pandemic came, and the former refused. A political crisis developed testing the newly drafted constitution to its core. The current prime minister illegally dissolved the parliament in December, causing the legal standoff to go to the courts.
This past week, the courts ruled that move illegal. Now, Nepal is trying to reconstitute itself amid a person who seems to popularly use the best political maneuvering to remain atop the government, refusing to bow to demands for his removal. It remains to be seen what will happen next as the standoff continues hamstringing the government from much else to move beyond the economic outfalls from the pandemic.
This instability prevents Nepal from moving forward. Elections were called for in April. They are costly. It would seem now that they will not be held.
In other news…
Human trafficking continues to be a problem here. We continue to educate our students against such practices. I hope to resume face-to-face classes in April. We mainly take students from the villages. Thanks for your support!
