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<I>Elections in Nepal: Identifying the Politically Excluded Groups HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies Volume 39 Number 1 Article 26 July 2019 Review of Elections in Nepal: Identifying the Politically Excluded Groups: A Study of the Parliamentary Election Results From 1991 to 2013 by Kåre Vollan. Michael Breen The University of Melbourne Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya Recommended Citation Breen, Michael. 2019. Review of Elections in Nepal: Identifying the Politically Excluded Groups: A Study of the Parliamentary Election Results From 1991 to 2013 by Kåre Vollan.. HIMALAYA 39(1). Available at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya/vol39/iss1/26 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. This Review is brought to you for free and open access by the DigitalCommons@Macalester College at DigitalCommons@Macalester College. It has been accepted for inclusion in HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Macalester College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. comprehensive peace agreement amongst other (hill) Janajatis (p. 2). that heralded the end of the Maoist Similarly, Muslims are sometimes civil war recorded the aspirations counted as Madhesis and sometimes for an “inclusive and democratic” not (pp. 12-13). Although I think that state (Government of Nepal and using the official election categories Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). would have provided more policy 2006. Comprehensive Peace Agreement. relevance to his work, and it does Kathmandu: Government of Nepal, get a little confusing at times, Vollan Item 3.5). The major political parties makes a strong case for his chosen subsequently agreed to establish a approach. new electoral system, and to hold Other authors have sought to democratic elections for a constituent analyse election results to identity assembly that would be inclusive of the proportionality of caste, ethnic, all the different caste, ethnic, and and religious representation, often religious groups of Nepal. This mixed arriving at different conclusions electoral system included both a first (e.g. Michael Breen. 2018. The Road past the post (FPTP) and a parallel to Federalism in Nepal, Myanmar and proportional representation (PR) Sri Lanka: Finding the Middle Ground. component, with quotas for all Oxon, UK and New York: Routledge; ethnic groups. Mahendra Lawoti. 2010. Federal State This book, by elections expert Kåre Building: Challenges in Framing the Vollan, analyses the FPTP election New Nepali Constitution. Kathmandu: results, both before and after these Bhrikuti Academic Publications). This changes, with a view towards more is because so much depends on how targeted quotas. Hence, the main you classify the different groups. purpose of the book is to identify Vollan provides disaggregated data those groups that have been able to (Appendices C-F, pp. 39-56) so that be elected without affirmative action alternative classification approaches and those that have not (Preface). can be used, if preferred. Further, This is no easy task. Vollan provides data on gender representation (pp. 19-22), which is Nepal has a complex and often presented in broad ethnic, caste, and overlapping diversity of ethnic, religious categories. caste, and religious groups. Indeed, the classification of these groups So what did he find? Using two Elections in Nepal: Identifying was changed between the 2001 and thresholds for inclusion, at 90% the Politically Excluded Groups: A 2011 census, with the number of and 60% of the groups share of Study of the Parliamentary Election recognised groups increased from 100 the population, Vollan shows that Results From 1991 to 2013. to 125, making comparison especially not much has changed since 1991. difficult (pp. 11-13). Vollan tackles There was a large jump in the Kåre Vollan. Kathmandu: Social this head-on and spends some time representation of excluded groups in Science Baha & Himal Books, 2015. 56 ensuring correspondence between 2008, but a reversion in 2013. Further, pages. ISBN 9789937290579. the two census frameworks, so that it mattered little which threshold they can be consistently applied to was applied. Only two small groups Reviewed by Michael Breen the election results. shifted from excluded to not excluded when a threshold of just 60% was The classifications are themselves Nepal’s modern politics have been used. The excluded groups are then valuable, as there are currently many punctuated by the politics of identity. lumped together, distinct from different approaches. For example, For too long, the state’s institutions other groups that might otherwise Vollan explains that the 2008 and have been dominated by men from fall within the same category (e.g. 2013 elections placed Tarai Janajatis particular caste and ethnic groups Janajatis are divided into excluded within the Madhesi category, even to the exclusion of others. The 2006 and not excluded). though they are normally counted HIMALAYA Volume 39, Number 1 | 243 This book is a valuable resource for political scientists, policy-makers, civil society organizations, and other interested persons, collating an impressive and comprehensive approach to categorizing ethnic, caste, and religious groups in Nepal and relating it to electoral outcomes. Breen on Elections in Nepal: Identifying the Politically Excluded Groups: A Study of the Parliamentary Election Results From 1991 to 2013. But there are some important some interpretation is required. For basis — once a particular group questions which Vollan does not example, Vollan states that “it was passes the threshold, affirmative address. Firstly, what effect did the quite clear … that women and Dalits action for that group is no longer change in electoral system have? The would win FPTP seats far below their required (pp. 26-28). This may come data is there, but the analysis is not. proportional share of the population” too close to micro-management. For Although Vollan rightly compares (p. 6), and that therefore such groups example, some groups are so small only the FPTP components (because should be over-represented in the (at less than 0.01% of the population) a PR component did not exist prior PR portion. This oversimplifies that that a single representative would to 2008), the introduction of the PR distinction between mixed-member make it overrepresented by more component, and the new political proportional (MMP) systems (which than 25 times. However, it would party rules, inevitably impacted on Vollan seems to advocate) and prevent political parties from the parties’ decision-making and the parallel systems (which Nepal has). gaming the system to maintain the peoples’ voting behavior. status quo. MMP systems are compensatory The constitution and electoral and so aim for proportionality in In all, this book is a valuable resource system did not impose quotas on the overall results. Parallel systems for political scientists, policy-makers, FPTP electoral outcomes. However, aim to achieve the benefits of both civil society organisations and the interim constitution did types of electoral systems. A FPTP other interested persons, collating require political parties to put forth system supports stable governing an impressive and comprehensive an inclusive list (Article 63(4)). majorities, while a PR system approach to categorizing ethnic, Elsewhere, I have shown that the supports inclusion. The use of parallel caste, and religious groups in Nepal impact of these rules was substantial systems is increasingly common and relating it to electoral outcomes. and carried through to the next in Asia, having been adopted in It is likely to have an ongoing value election (Breen 2018, pp. 160-161). It the Philippines, East Timor and and enables future results to be forced the major parties to become Japan, among others (Benjamin compared using the same framework. more multiethnic in composition Reilly. 2007. “Democratization and Michael Breen is a McKenzie Postdoctoral and policy, notwithstanding some Electoral Reform in the Asia-Pacific Fellow in the School of Social and Political backtracking. Region: Is There an ‘Asian Model’ of Science at The University of Melbourne. Democracy?,” Comparative Political An alternative interpretation is Breen’s research focuses on federalism Studies 40(11), pp. 1350-1371). Political simply that the 2008 election results in Asia, the management of ethnic inclusion is just one objective. were more inclusive because the diversity, and the use of deliberative Maoist party won the most seats. Vollan rounds out the book with his democracy tools in constitution-making. The drop in the representation of policy suggestions. He recommends Prior to academia, Breen was a policy excluded groups in 2013 (back to its a shift to minimum representation maker, negotiator, and advisor in various 1990s levels) is equated with for excluded groups only, rather government departments in Australia, the poorer showing of the main than a quota for all groups. This, he and in international organizations Maoist parties. argues, would obviate the need for all including the United Nations candidates to declare their identity, Development Programme in Nepal. These sorts of inquiries are not as “invoking groups rights should be the stated purpose of the book. an individual choice” (p. 25). Vollan But if Vollan wants to make policy also argues for a sunset clause that proposals, which he does, then can be applied on a group-by-group 244 | HIMALAYA Spring 2019.
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