The government has expressed its ‘total objection’ to unfavourable international reaction to the February 8 municipal election, asking those ‘few countries’ to refrain from making ‘insolent’ comment on issues that fall ‘essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of a sovereign country’. A foreign ministry statement on Saturday describes as a paradox their call for the restoration of democracy and their criticism of the election. Countries crucially important to Nepal in terms of aid and otherwise — India, the US, the UK, the European Union (consisting of 25 countries) and Japan, often known for its reticence on the crisis in Nepal — have refused to recognise the poll as legitimate for several considerations. On Friday, Dr Tulsi Giri, the royal cabinet’s first vice chairman, branded these countries ‘petty-minded’ and their statements ‘hollow’.

Any election that seeks legitimacy has to be not only free and fair but also seen to be so. But the civic poll sorely lacks these attributes. Besides, most of the seats are still lying vacant for want of candidates. And many of the candidates were elected unopposed, while in the past elections each seat used to be fiercely contested among a number of candidates. Because of these and other factors, it is not surprising that the election has failed to win domestic and international acceptance. The government has shown its double standards by saying that the international reaction constitutes interference in Nepal’s internal affairs, while it does not consider any foreign support for it against its domestic rivals to be such. Moreover, questions of democracy and human rights have ceased to be internal matters in today’s world.

China, our northern neighbour, seems to be moving away from its view of the crisis in Nepal as a ‘purely internal matter’ towards favouring a dialogue and political settlement, as its recent statement suggests. The postponement of the February 16-18 visit to Nepal by Chinese government leader Tang Jiaxung is being linked here to this shifting Chinese position. Few at home and abroad expect this widely rejected poll to promote peace and reconciliation. However, according to Dr Giri, the parliamentary election will be held in a similar manner. This course will be a sure-fire recipe for more bloodshed, making the crisis even worse. While the government does not show any willingness to open a dialogue with either the political parties or the rebels except on its own terms, few think a military solution is feasible. It will further put the government on the defensive in the comity of nations.