The successful completion of the April 10, 2008 Constituent Assembly (CA) election was a significant step towards strengthening democracy in Nepal. The CA is now charged with serving as the interim Parliament and drafting a new constitution that respects the basic rights of all citizens.

A coalition government has been formed that, together with the CA, will lead the formation of a representative federal government.

Nepal’s principal political challenges are to consolidate the current peace process; draft a new, more inclusive constitution; and build a functioning government with sufficiently broad legitimacy and authority to uphold the rule of law and carry out national development in the years ahead. It must accomplish all of this in an environment of political and social divisions; high and often-unrealistic expectations on the part of the public; fragile and politicized state institutions and civil society; severely limited resources; and unrest and physical insecurity.

USAID/Nepal’s Democracy and Governance programs support the re-establishment of representative democracy and restoration of the public’s faith in political institutions. Programs assist national institutions and key political parties to establish an inclusive competitive democracy by strengthening organizational structures and providing leadership training to officials, youth and women. Programs encourage dialogue on the peace process; promote respect for rule of law and human rights; and educate citizens on their rights and responsibilities.

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

ELECTORAL AND POLITICAL PROCESSES

• Trained government officials and civil society leaders from 20 districts, out of Nepal's total 75, on the rule of law, elections, the comprehensive peace agreement, the role of citizens in the constitution drafting process, and federalism.
• Conducted a country-wide civic education campaign to improve public understanding and awareness of the constitution building process.
• Trained 773 polling and counting officers on effectively planning and managing elections, leading to further training of 44,000 staff and ensuring skilled coverage across all 75 districts on Election Day.
• Trained district and national-level election officials on election management.
• Provided resources to design and print over 41 million ballots for the CA election.
• Established the Nepal Election Web-Portal providing voter education and up-to-date electoral and political news.
• Helped establish a national civil society alliance to monitor election violence using the Electoral Violence Education and Resolution methodology to generate awareness and accurate information on electoral violence.
• Mobilized approximately 9,300 long-term domestic observers throughout the country covering all 240 constituencies.

RULE OF LAW

• Increased the availability of legal services for vulnerable groups, including those in pre-trial detention and victims of human rights violations.
• Established five new court-affiliated mediation centers and three commercial mediation centers. USAID’s support for the mediation program includes development of a standardized mediation curriculum and training manual, training on mediation practices, and public education campaigns on the benefits of mediation centers.
• Introduced systems to improve case flow and reduce backlog cases at the Supreme Court, Special Anti-corruption Court, Lalitpur District Court, and Patan Appellate and District Courts.

WOMEN’S PARLIAMENTARIAN LEADERSHIP

• Supporting a Women’s Leadership Academy for women CA members to strengthen leadership skills and effectively represent their constituencies.
• As of July 2009, 173 women leaders have received training on the judiciary system; federalism; constitution drafting processes; political communication; parliamentary culture; human and child rights; holding public hearings; policy development; budgetary processes; community dialogue and constituent services.