Elections should be held only after reforming system of governance: Dr Bhattarai

KATHMANDU: Former Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has said that elections should only be held after reforming the system of governance.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, a day after stepping down as chairperson of the Nepal Socialist Party (Naya Shakti), which he founded, Bhattarai said systemic reforms must precede the general elections scheduled for March 5. He added that pressure from all sections of society, including the Gen Z representatives, was necessary to make this possible.

“You have won a partial victory; you managed to topple the government. But the system itself has not fallen,” Dr Bhattarai said, referring to the Gen Z protest of September 8 and 9, which toppled the KP Sharma Oli-led government. “We are not talking about changing the entire political order right now, but we must make some key reforms before going into elections. These reforms are necessary to ensure that corruption does not keep reproducing itself, that corrupt figures do not capture power again.”

He argued that Nepal’s electoral system itself is flawed. “I have been saying since the constitution-making days that it is a half-full, half-empty glass. Because of structural flaws in the governance system, no one can secure a majority. No government lasts five years,” Dr Bhattarai said. “Therefore, governance reform is a must. That means moving toward a directly elected executive presidential system. There are debates on whether to call it a president or prime minister, but we can have that discussion later.”

Dr Bhattarai added that he has not distanced himself from movements and will remain engaged in the campaign for national development. He insisted that corrupt leaders must be prosecuted before the elections.

“Otherwise, the same corrupt figures will continue to get elected,” he added.