Does money play a bigger role in Nepali elections?

Ever since the establishment of democracy in Nepal, elections have been the driving force to remain a democratic nation. By active execution of their voting rights Nepali citizens can choose whom they prefer to run the government. However, the election observation committee of Nepal (EOC) , has called into question the integrity of electoral democracy in Nepal.

Evidence suggests that candidates spending more money on election campaigns are likely to win in the elections. Winning candidates spent Rs. 2.13 crore on an average in contrast to Rs. 1.49 crores spent by the runner up candidates. The election observation committee (EOC) terms this money driven electoral system of Nepal to be ‘elite captured’. Supporting EOC’s claims, Dr Sachin Ghimire, the Founder Editor of New Angle: Nepal Journal of Social Science and Public Policy says, “The seats for candidacy in elections are already reserved for the already powerful and influential politicians while the marginalization of other people continues.” This situation has been created despite the election code of conduct regulating the expenditure of each candidate in their election campaigns.

The regulation of public funding in Nepali elections is crucial to maintaining electoral integrity. As Nepal does not provide state funding for election campaigns. A draft bill supporting the government funding of election campaigns was rejected in the parliament.

Candidates cross the limits of spending set by the Election Commission and the silence hour before 48 hours of elections is often violated by the majority of the candidates. Such a situation can only be made better with practical mechanisms of election regulations implemented.

A crucial factor for making elections more transparent in Nepal is voter education. Voters should be aware of their rights and responsibilities which will allow them to rightfully exercise their right to vote in an appropriate manner. Invalid votes can be minimized with effective voter education.

To avoid the rampant corruption situation, the authority of candidate selection should not only be limited to the party headquarters, the decentralized candidate selection process will increase the chances of candidates being selected based on their credibility and merits, which will limit the prevalence of buying candidacy according to the election observation committee of Nepal. Furthermore, election observers of Nepal, recommend the temporary police during elections to be trained and recruited for monitoring the obedience of election code of conduct as well, in their respective voting centers.