KATHMANDU, JANUARY 29 While political parties are currently writing manifestos for the upcoming elections, over a dozen civic organisations have made public their shared perspectives on the problems confronting Nepali society and the policies that can be implemented to address them. Sixteen civil society organisations led by the NGO Federation of Nepal (NFN) outlined their concerns and priority issues for political parties to include in their manifestos for the upcoming March 5 House of Representatives election in a press conference here yesterday. In light of the citizen dissatisfaction and demands exposed by the Gen Z uprising on September 8 and 9, they highlighted that the upcoming House of Representatives elections on March 5 are not only regular elections but also a historic turning point in guiding the direction of democracy. The upcoming March 5 elections, according to them, are more than just a formal process of power transfer; they are a historic opportunity that should prove to be a decisive turning point in the direction of restoring and expanding civil rights, ensuring accountable governance, institutional development of social justice, and inclusive and sustainable prosperity. The appeal reflects civil society voices, emphasising democratic values, accountable governance, inclusion, and people-centred policies, with the goal of strengthening Nepal's democratic process ahead of the March 5 elections. Arjun Bhattarai, president of the NFN, stated that an appeal paper was prepared based on interactions with citizens across the country and a study of a wide range of topics, including issues raised by previous citizen movements. He also stated that this Citizen Appeal Letter 2025 is being made public as a collective voice of civil society organisations, networks, campaigns, activists, and other stakeholders, in collaboration with the NFN, and is being distributed to political parties. 'We intend to submit these pressing concerns to each political party and stakeholder, and we urge political parties to include issues directly related to citizens' lives, rights, and futures in their manifestos for the upcoming House of Representatives election in 2025 in a clear, committed, and implementable manner,' he stated. He clarified that 16 organisations are submitting 24-page proposals to each party and stakeholder. Social and civic organisations, consumer interest groups, and civil society have all contributed their suggestions in preparing it. The organisations that have made such suggestions include the Federation of Non-Governmental Organisations Nepal, the Federation of Nepali Journalists, the Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, Dalit NGO Federation (DNF), the National Federation of Disabled, the Beyond Beijing Committee, the National Federation of Irrigation Water Consumers Association, Federation of Community Electricity, Federation of Drinking Water and Sanitation Consumers, and the National Federation of Indigenous and National Women's Federation Nepal, Consumer Interest Protection Forum, Youth Organization Network, Federation of Sexual and Gender Minorities, Blind Association Nepal and National Network of Women Human Rights Defenders. According to Bhattarai, the aspirations of citizens for fundamental rights, inclusive democracy, social justice, equality, good governance, and prosperity guaranteed by the 2015 Constitution of Nepal have yet to be fully implemented. As a result, the citizen appeal raises serious concerns about the quality of democracy by reflecting on the current reality of not making the expected progress on issues such as strengthening democratic institutions, ensuring civil liberties, accountability of state organs, and socioeconomic transformation. 'Strengthening democracy, administrative restructuring, ensuring civic space, protecting human rights, good governance and controlling corruption, effective implementation of federalism, economic growth, industrialisation and commercialisation of agriculture, environmental protection, climate justice, disaster risk management, and the abolition of all forms of inequality and discrimination are now mandatory obligations,' Bhattarai stated. CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT Stating that the constitution of Nepal is a dynamic document, civil society organisations have suggested that other shortcomings ought to be strengthened while maintaining the founding principles of federal democratic republican government, inclusive democracy, fundamental rights and social justice. 'Civil society believes that amending the constitution is inevitable in the current context where the experience of almost a decade of implementing the constitution has exposed some structural, institutional, and governance-related weaknesses,' the appeal letter reads. In order to amend the constitution, it has also been noted that all political parties, the government, the parliament, the provincial and local levels, constitutional bodies, expert communities, and civil society should have extensive discussions. The parties have been urged to issue a manifesto outlining their commitment to advancing the constitutional amendment process based on national consensus. Instead of focusing on power interests or short-term political gains, they advocate for amending the constitution to improve democracy and good governance, strengthen federalism, and address issues that directly affect citizens' lives. They concluded that the electoral system outlined in the constitution has resulted in frequent government changes. 'We urge you to express your commitment to amend the constitution to ensure a sustainable and stable constitutional system for the operation of the government by reviewing the provisions related to the size of the parliament, vote of confidence, motion of no confidence, electoral system, and government formation,' the statement continues, citing the detrimental effects of this trend on policy continuity, development, service delivery, and good governance. They proposed that this be reviewed, claiming that the state's financial burden has increased due to an excessive number of representatives in the House of Representatives and Provincial Assemblies. 'Civil society appeals to political parties to express their commitment to amend the constitution to make arrangements to reduce the number of members of the House of Representatives, to reduce the number of lawmakers in the Provincial Assemblies appropriately, and to make the constitutional guarantee of proportional and inclusive representation in the National Assembly more clear and effective,' the letter reads. BOLSTER PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL LEVELS The work of empowering the provinces and local levels in line with the spirit of federalism has not yet been completed as anticipated, according to civic organisations. 'The federal governance system has become weak due to the persistence of centralised thinking and practice,' they state. Political parties should now implement a policy that gives the provinces constitutional authority by granting them rights, resources, and responsibilities. They believe that in order to make the federal governance system straightforward, economical, and efficient, structures with dual roles and ambiguous powers must be reviewed. The citizens' appeal letter reads: 'Civic society warmly calls for amending the constitution to review and abolish the District Coordination Committee and to appropriately reduce the number of local levels and increase the number of wards.' IMPLEMENTATION OF FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS In the 24-page, 13-point 'Citizens' Appeal Letter 2025', the parties are urged to clearly state when the implementation of citizens' constitutionally acquired fundamental rights will finally begin. It has been emphasised that the manifestos presented by the parties at this time should address the issue of the implementation of fundamental rights, which are guaranteed to citizens by the constitution of Nepal promulgated in 2015. The citizens' appeal states that the state should assume direct responsibility for basic health and education. 'The manifesto should include a clear policy commitment to ensure free and compulsory health and education.' Additionally, the parties have been asked to adopt a policy of progressively reducing and controlling the excessive privatisation of the health and education sectors and transforming these sectors into services focused on rights rather than profit. It has also been suggested that universities end widespread political bias and implement a policy of autonomy. According to the statement, the aspirations of inclusive democracy, social justice, equality, good governance, and prosperity have yet to be fully realised, with the implementation of fundamental rights being cited as an important factor. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION MUST NOT BE HINDERED Through the citizens' appeal, the parties have been made aware that the right to free speech should not be restricted. 'Tolerance towards criticism, dissent, caution, and alternative views should be maintained,' reads the letter. 'Freedom of expression is the soul of liberal democracy. State entities should stop suppressing, threatening, or punishing people for exercising their right to free speech.' It has been urged to declare a commitment to end excessive use of force, arbitrary arrests, and repressive practices, as well as to recognise peaceful protests, sit-ins, meetings, and protest programmes as democratic rights. 'Protect the rights of expression, organisation, and participation in digital media. Censorship, digital surveillance, and unnecessary restrictions ought to be eliminated. Data security, privacy, and internet freedom need to be safeguarded as fundamental rights,' the letter reads. EASY ACCESS TO JUSTICE 'Easy and equal access to justice should be ensured,' the appeal letter says. In order to prevent the impoverished, marginalised, and weak classes from being denied access to justice, the legal system should be made straightforward, transparent, and citizen-friendly. Furthermore, they have requested that human rights be upheld as every citizen's inherent, unalienable, and universal right. They contend that defending an individual's political, social, economic, and cultural rights is the state's primary duty. The rights of children, women, youth, sexual and gender minorities, people with disabilities, Dalits, Madhesis, Muslims, Tharus, senior citizens, indigenous peoples, other underprivileged classes and communities, and marginalised groups should all be protected, according to civil society. Thus, the election manifesto must include the issue of implementing special policies, budgets, and programmes.