Federalism in Nepal

Nepal is practicing federalism in the midst of fear, mistrust, and dubious mindsets of political elites without a clear vision of its future. Fully autonomous federalism cannot be achieved unless strong trust between political elites and citizens is created. For this purpose, constructive, open and broad dialogue at different levels is necessary. The dialogue should not be focused on whether Nepal needs federalism, but rather on how to make the new governance structure pro-people with respective roles played by the political leaders, elected leaders, citizens, and international community. At the end of the day, the future of federalism is determined by the effective and efficient delivery of services, civic space, citizens’ accessibility in governance processes, and the governing style of the elected leaders and their accountability towards citizens. Furthermore, the relationship between elected leaders and government officials, and a clear division of power and responsibilities between the three tiers of government is crucial.

Federalism is still a contested and unsettled issue in Nepal. Broadly, five contesting groups exist: the first group is happy with the existing federalist system, mainly powerful political elites belong to this category. The second group completely opposes the idea of federalism. Political parties such as the National People’s Front, a few leaders from each political party, and a group of citizens who were happy with the unitary system belong to this category. The third group, which includes the majority of citizens and a large segment of cadres from all political parties not being represented in local, provincial, and federal bodies have internalized federalism, but are not happy with how it is functioning. The fourth category, which includes Madhesh province based parties and some elected leaders from provincial governments, even ministers and chief ministers, have wholeheartedly accepted the idea of federalism but are not happy with the provincial governments’ power and authority. The final category involves the splinter group of Maoists, which is completely dissatisfied with the existing political system and leadership and thus wants to fight against the state to establish a different system, though it is not quite clear yet how that system might look like. In summary, the future of federalism in Nepal, among many other things, will largely be determined by the nature of interaction and cooperation between these contested groups.