Youth Representation in the Constituent Assembly in Nepal

The population of Nepal, who are below 34 years of age, is approximately 73%. Of the voting percentages, figures from the Election Commission shows that the voters between the age range of 18 to 35 constitutes 50.75% of the total voters. Now with the parties fielding their candidates for the 240 First Past The Post seats in the CA elections, it has been reported that the CPN (Maoist) have 126 (52.50%) young candidates across the country in the age group 25-40. The NC has fielded just 17 candidates (7.08%) from the age group 25-40. Likewise, People's Front Nepal and National People's Front, which have fielded 187 and 121 candidates across the country, have respectively over 73 and 48 candidates (over 39 %) who are below 40.



When a country is transitioning from a regressive regime to a democratic setup, its future rests on the foundation of the responsibilities taken up by the youth. In Nepal, youth have always played an integral role in bringing social and political change either by participating in the democratic struggle directly, fighting against social injustice or involving themselves in the process of community development. In the past, despite the existence of unfavorable circumstances when democratic principles and values were curbed and fundamental rights restrained, the youth managed to come to the forefront and fight for the democratic movement. The democratic movement of 1990 and the recent one of April 2006 have proved it. In most of the countries where transition to democracy takes place, the country also witnesses the end of older generation rule - the political leaders and elite gets younger. For instance in Serbia when it moved towards the transition, 68% of its political elite was young was below 36 years of age. We are now in the process of establishing "New Nepal", a "Progressive Nepal" but we should understand that social political and economic change is not possible without the involvement of youth - youth, who are educated, competent, dedicated, who are receptive to progressive ideas and are willing to work across party lines.







The youth of any country are the soul of that society, the essence that makes the society progress, regress or digress. The relationship between youth and the community is as intrinsic as the spin of the particles that make up the atoms. The role of youth is immense and vitally important in a democracy. Democracy is a system of government which is of the people, for the people and by the people. The underlying factor here is active participation which means that the youth should be actively participative but at the same time, properly guided and organized. Some of the major identifying aspects of the youth are their vitality, their energy, their contradictions, their conflicts, and their individual and social problems. But just these factors should not be used to identify the youth. It should also be recognized that the youth are thoughtful and participative and that they also have a clear independent vision of what a State, a Nation, a Country is; of what democracy is; and that democracy is a goal and that they are obliged to contribute to be able to achieve that goal and if that goal is not achieved it is because they have assumed a passive role with their capacity and strength to the detriment of democracy.



In any country, and especially more so in a nascent re-emerging democracy like Nepal, it is essential to have strong willed and well intentioned adults to carry on democratic practices and exercises in order to sustain and strengthen it. They are a necessity, but added to these, we also need an informed, aware, proactive and participatory youth group in order to achieve a level of democratic excellence. And with the direct participation of the youth who are informed, aware and well guided and directed, a sustainable democracy, with all its facets such as Rule of Law, equality, equal representation, is not all that impossible.



Just as in many other countries, during the struggle, the presence of youth as strong defenders of democracy is celebrated, but after the struggle, their active contribution is shaded out by history and by subsequent political developments. The senior political party leaders mobilize these young political leaders as their auxiliary troops to fight for their benefit and once the objective is achieved the senior political party leaders disown the responsibility of organizing and thus distance the youth from themselves. In April 2006, the young political leaders backed up the movement of eight political parties to fight for the democracy and against the regressive regime but now with the reinstatement of democracy and transitional structure in place; these young political leaders have found themselves less and less central to the processes of transformation. They are indiscernible in all the critical transitional structures and have found very few political opportunities existing for them to play a meaningful role. The major political parties of Nepal still have the hierarchical tendency and are shaped with the principle of single leaders and family politics where the party leadership makes the choice of officials and distribution of public roles are not related to the actual capabilities and virtues of those chosen. In this context where the senior and old party leaders- holding authoritarian principle and conservative views- have an immense leverage in the political party the young political leaders who differ from their line of thinking finds it difficult to find a meaningful space in the party and to be discernible in the national and local level political scenario.







Constitutional reforms have always been an exclusive domain in Nepal till date. Almost all the constitutions that have been written till now –some five of them- have none or very little inclusiveness in them. Exclusion, one of the major problems in the Nepali politics and bureaucracy, has always been reflected in the framing of the Constitution, which in turn is reflected in its articles and directive principles. Allowing youth to participate in the formation of the Constituent Assembly and ensuring their representation means putting into practice the democratic processes. By doing this, we will create a culture of democracy through the promotion of democratic behavior and values among the young citizens.







Times change and policies and leaders themselves need to change accordingly and make way for the younger generation. Without the participation of the youth in such a vital structure as the Constituent Assembly, it would by no means represent the thoughts, beliefs, ideals, demands and aspirations of the youth of Nepal. In order to overcome this paralysis, it will be necessary to encourage, strengthen, mobilize and nurture individuals and communities, especially the students and youth, across the country to be able to actively resist the spread of violence, to transform conflicts constructively, to regenerate community in areas devastated by war, and to build a concrete vision of what they want through democratic beliefs and practices. In order for this to happen, there needs to be at least a critical mass representation of the youth in the Constituent Assembly and the political parties need to understand this.