Nepal’s Political Trajectory and Challenges to Democratic Stability

Abstract

Democracy is a constitutional form of government. It consists of popular sovereignty, rights and freedom, democratic values, and fairness in socio-economic opportunities. The elected ruling elites govern the nation in accordance with the constitution, the rule of law, inclusion, and equality.  But democracy cannot function efficiently unless it is supported by these factors and a compatible political culture with democracy.  Democracy in a changing society faces numerous problems, as seen in Nepal, in developing and sustaining democratic governance. This article aims to critically analyze Nepal’s political trajectory, focusing on the structural factors responsible for continued political instability. The paper is based on a desk study, using an ontological, epistemological, and axiological philosophy approach. The paper argues Nepal’s political trajectory arises from the interaction of internal and external variables. Internally, an unstable government, polarization and fragmentation in parties and society, poor governance, weak institutional capacity, absence of accountability, constitutional ambiguity, and malpractices contributed to degrading citizens’ trust in institutions, making democracy dysfunctional and creating a space for the rise of populist leaders in various forms. Emerging democracies are inherently fragile states, creating an opportunity for external and regional powers' involvement in the internal matters. Externally, Nepal’s geo-political location, donor- based policy, global power shift, rivalry of regional and global powers, and the influence of international financial institutions promoted the accountability of the ruling elites toward external powers rather than internal accountability. Taking advantage of a weak state and intergenerational gaps, the youth-led protests forced the resignation of the ruling elites. It concludes that the Gen Z protest has an opportunity for new youth leaders to govern the nation in a democratic way, promoting accountability and transparency, constitutionalism and rule of law, and building trust in democratic institutions. On the other hand, it can carry political instability, social and political polarization, and economic disruption.