The Diplomat reported on October 10, "After large-scale protests by the 'Gen Z', Nepal is considering direct elections for the administrative head. Due to dissatisfaction with the long-term abuse of the parliamentary system by the old political class, a considerable part of the Gen Z representatives and civil forces in Nepal hope to abolish the parliamentary system and elect the prime minister or president through direct elections. Supporters argue that Nepal has implemented a parliamentary system for the past 35 years, with governments changing every six months or so, leading to political instability, serious obstacles to national development, rampant insider trading, and the intensification of nepotism and corruption. Direct elections not only improve efficiency but also help establish a good accountability system. Opponents, however, argue that adopting direct elections would completely negate Nepal's existing parliamentary framework, potentially undermining the constitutional foundation. The authority of the current constitution has already been damaged, and further amendments carry credibility risks. Moreover, a considerable portion of the public does not want this constitution, which took eight years to revise, cost a lot, and is comprehensive and inclusive, to be abolished within ten years of its enactment. However, regardless of whether the demand for direct elections is reasonable, this proposal is difficult to quickly realize in Nepal's political arena. On one hand, the political leader preferred by the "direct election group" - Balendra Shah, the mayor of Kathmandu - has no intention of immediately leading a temporary government but rather hopes to lead a full government term after being elected directly. On the other hand, the interim government, which assumes the functions of the old parliament, has explicitly excluded changing the current parliamentary system from its agenda. The proposal for a direct election system needs to be decided by the parliament elected in the next year. In addition, the positions of China and India will also affect Nepal's future government form. China has always hoped that Nepal establishes a strong and stable government. During the previous constitutional drafting process, the political party most actively advocating for direct elections of the administrative head was the CPN (UML), which has close relations with China, and the CPN (Maoist Center). India, on the other hand, tends to prefer Nepal to implement a parliamentary system, as India itself is familiar with the parliamentary system, and the parliamentary system provides India with room for maneuver and operational space to influence Nepal's political process.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1845878552675344/
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