Patan, April 10:

Young Nepali voters say they hope a historic vote on the country’s political future will consolidate a peace process and deliver a badly needed growth spurt for an economy shattered by years of war.

The economy “should be the biggest agenda over the next 10 years and it cannot happen without peace,” Rajendra Mulmi, president of the umbrella associations of Youth Organisations, said. “People have waited a long time for development and there is no alternative to peace,” he said.

The young people expressed their hopes as voters went to the polls today to vote for an assembly whose first job will be to abolish the monarchy and write a new constitution.

“Urban youth are more concerned about economic growth, about having economic growth that will give the country on a higher standard of living,” Mulmi said.

Maoists, still classified by the US as a terrorist group, have risen to prominence on promises of ending poverty for the 31 per cent of the country’s 27 million people who live below the poverty line.

But their 10-year ‘people’s war’ — launched in 1996 to topple the monarchy and establish a communist republic — caused millions of dollars’ worth of damage to infrastructure,

crippled the economy and cost at least 13,000 lives.

If the elections bring “peace and conditions are good, I would love to come back to Nepal and stay here for the rest of my life,” said Keshbin Bajrachayra, who has just got his Master’s degree in information technology from an Australian university.

Some 51 per cent of voters were below 35.

“It’s time for the youth to be given responsibilities — they’re the largest chunk of voters,” said Regan Budhathoki, the 22-year-old head of a start-up information technology company.

The new lawmakers “should be concerned about the development of Nepal to put the country into the international community so we can participate in the global economy,” he said.

Crucially, international donors, whose cash makes up around a quarter of government budget, are holding off contributing to the estimated $2.5 billion the country needs

to recover and restart its economy until they see the election outcome.

“The election is critically important as it is a part of the peace process which we are hoping will lead to a more stable political environment,” said Bella Bird, country director for the British government’s Department Fund for International Development (DfID), Nepal’s biggest donor.

Vidyadhar Mallik, finance secretary, said the conflict fundamentally changed the country’s society. “The inequality between rich and poor has gone up and the poorest are now more vulnerable,” he said.

“We need sweeping economic reforms to create better conditions and more practical terms for investors. We need investment in hydro power and infrastructure,” he said.

With reforms, Mallik thinks Nepal’s economic growth rate can improve on its level of 3.5 per cent last financial year and “achieve five per cent plus, if things are more peaceful.”

Budhathoki said many young people in the capital were ‘not politically oriented at all’

although their rural counterparts are more politicised.

“Whoever comes to power, we just expect political stability and economic growth,” he added.