Sohn Helps Nepal Hold Fair Elections
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
The United Nations has dispatched a group of election experts to Nepal, which is undergoing the swirl of democratic movement and protests against it.
Rep. Sohn Bong-scuk, who was appointed as a member of the U.N. Electoral Experts Monitoring Team (UNEEMT), visited the Asian country.
``The mission of the team is to help Nepal hold free and fair elections to comprise the Constituent Assembly,’’ Sohn, 63, said in an interview with The Korea Times Thursday. ``We met Nepalese government officials and ethnic group members to listen to their expectations for the elections.’’
An interim government was established in Nepal after it experienced the democracy movement in 2006.
Nepalese King Gyanendra reportedly suppressed civil politicians, arguing they failed to handle the insurgency of the Maoist, a local communist party, and enforced martial law.
Massive uprisings against the king’s decision took place and eventually made the monarch step down from the throne on April 22 last year.
Nepal is trying to establish the Constitution and comprise the Constituent Assembly (CA) to rebuild the nation through the November 22 elections, Sohn said.
``It is essential that these crucial elections mirror public demand,’’ said the lawmaker of the opposition Democratic Party.
However, Sohn said, it is not easy to conduct the peaceful mission because of far-reaching rebellions.
Maoists, especially the hard-line Young Communist League, have staged rallies against the CA polls often violating human rights, she added.
Sohn discussed the security issue with leaders of the military and police during the visit.
A range of ethnic groups is another hurdle to the elections.
``Nepal has 17 languages and more than 17 ethnic groups. If they demand proportional seats in as many ratios as their population, the situation will be worse,’’ she said.
She said that more than 80 percent of Nepalese are illiterate, which also hinders the CA elections.
Due to the high illiteracy rate, signs or symbols such as a bird, not numbers, list candidates, she said.
The new Assembly will consist of 240 proportional seats and 240 lawmakers elected by direct vote. Half of the proportional seats will be filled with females, Sohn said.
Sohn plans to make four more visits to Nepal to prepare programs to improve the public perception of the elections.
She is also helping Nepal with a legal framework in the U.N. Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), which is operated separately with UNEEMT.