VICTORY FOR THE LEFT!!!!!
By 史蒂夫・奥多
From the New York Times
Friday 11th April, 2008
(IANS)
A ragged group of people who dreamt impossible dreams and dared to take on Nepal's powerful army with homemade guns and bombs, Nepal's Maoist guerrillas established themselves as a formidable force in the 90s when they prevented elections and inflicted punishing losses on the security forces.
Two years after they laid down their guns and marched back to the parliament they had derisively branded a 'meat shop', the rebels have proved to be an equally formidable political force with the historic constituent assembly elections unexpectedly showing their support.
As counting started amid tight security in 239 constituencies, the trends indicated that while the capital had voted conservatively, returning Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's Nepali Congress (NC) party in most of the 10 seats, the guerrillas were emerging as giant killers in some while sweeping the electorate in the west.
The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) , once the second largest force in the country after the NC, were routed ruthlessly, paying dearly for their failure to have reached a poll alliance with the Maoists.
However, in a country of surprises, there was still scope for unexpected results with counting yet to start in the hilly regions, considered NC strongholds, and in the east where two debutant ethnic parties are expected to challenge the supremacy of the ruling alliance.
The NC tasted the first victory when former physical planning and works minister Prakash Man Singh, a son of Ganesh Man Singh, one of Nepal's most revered freedom fighters, won with overwhelming majority in constituency one humbling current minister for physical education and sports Pradeep Nepal of the UML.
It was a heady moment for Singh, who was jailed for graft during King Gyanendra's absolute rule before being freed by
However, the Maoists were leading in three Kathmandu seats, including constituency two, considered a UML fortress from where UML chief and deputy PM Madhav Kumar
A little-known Maoist candidate Jhakku Prasad Subedi was leading convincingly, causing stunned disbelief among the ruling parties.
In
The UML was ahead only in two seats in the capital.
In neighbouring Lalitpur city, Maoists were leading in one seat and the NC in the other while counting was yet to start in the third.
It was a moment of jubilation for Maoist minister for women, children and social welfare Pampa Bhushal, striding ahead of her UML rival former minister Raghuji Pant, who had won the earlier election from Lalitpur 2.
The remote districts in western Nepal, the 'land of the disappeared' where the decade of 'People's War' led to a stunningly high number of disappearances, arbitrary arrests and extra-judicial killings by security forces, rejected the traditional parties to embrace the Maoists.
Maoists were leading on all four seats in Bardiya district and in three seats in Dang, considered a Maoist stronghold.
Among the frontrunners in Dang is Maoist minister for information and communications Krishna Bahadur Mahara.
In the tourist district of Chitwan, famed for its rhino park, Maoist strategist Ram Bahadur Thapa aka Badal was leading the race on one seat with the NC and UML leading in one seat each.
Even in Palpa district, the site of a devastating attack by the Maoists during the last days of King Gyanendra's rule, the Maoists were well ahead.
In Banke, the Maoists were leading in one seat with two others favouring the new ethnic party, the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum.
The debutant party was poised to humble in seat 3 Sushil Koirala, prime minister Koirala's cousin, and deputy chief of the NC.
The Maoists were also leading in seats in Makwanpur and Nawalparasi.
As Maoists routed communists, only a small localised left party stood its ground.
The Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP), a minor partner in the ruling alliance, held its traditional bastion Bhaktapur town in
NWPP chief Narayan Man Bijukchhe was winning from constituency one while his lieutenant Sunil Prajapati was leading over his nearest rival NC man Lekhnath Neupane in constituency two.
Boletín informativo do Comite Galego de Solidariedade co
Nepal Maoist Party’s new flag
Maoist leader wins seat in Nepal election as former rebels take lead in early returns
The Associated Press Published: April 12, 2008KATMANDU,Nepal: After spending a decade leading a communist insurgency in the mountains of Nepal, former top rebel Prachanda became the newest member Saturday of an assembly that will chart the Himalayan country's future. Prachanda, whose rebel nom de guerre means "the fierce one," led a powerful showing by the former Maoists rebels in early results from Thursday's elections. The vote is expected to usher in sweeping changes to the Himalayan country and likely signals the end of a 239-year-old royal dynasty.The Maoists, who are still considered a terrorist group by the United States, have so far won 20 out of the 34 constituencies where counting has been completed, the Election Commission said Saturday."This victory is a command by the Nepali people to establish lasting peace," Prachanda, 54, told reporters after the result was announced. "We are fully committed to the peace process and multiparty democracy and to rebuild this country."Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, whose Carter Center sent 62 observers to monitor the election, described the election as one of the "most profoundly important" ones he has witnessed. He said it marked the end of a decade of political violence and the likely transformation of Nepal from a Hindu kingdom to a democratic republic."If the Maoists do gain a substantial share of power, I hope the United States will recognize and do business with the government," Carter said at a news conference in Katmandu.
Polls Open in
Published: April 10, 2008
In a turning point for a country bled by a decade-long Maoist insurgency, polls opened Thursday morning for
Yesterday’s guerrillas are running for seats in the 601-member Constituent Assembly. Even some of their staunchest critics have said elections are the only way to bring them into a lawful parliamentary system.
On the outskirts of the
Navaraj Suwal, 42, a teacher, said
So excited was he that he showed up 45 minutes before the polls opened and was the second man in line.
The transition from war to peace here has been exceptionally difficult, with the period before the elections characterized by violence and intimidation among rival parties. The Maoists have been accused in a majority of the cases, particularly their youth wing, known as the Young Communist League, which has been taken to task for bullying and beating members of other parties and preventing them from campaigning freely.
OK I don’t care much for Stalin, but that’s how the poster came.
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