PARTYLESS 'PANCHAYAT DEMOCRACY' IN NEPAL : A PROGNOSIS

This article provides a critical prognosis of Nepal's partyless "Panchayat democracy" system, which had been in place for over two decades. It examines the theoretical justifications for the system, which was promoted by the monarchy as a form of "guided democracy" uniquely suited to Nepal's traditions. The study analyzes the functioning of the Panchayat system in practice, assessing its ability to foster political participation, ensure representation, and promote development. The research investigates the growing challenges to the system's legitimacy, including the activities of banned political parties, rising student activism, and widespread public discontent over corruption and economic stagnation. The paper argues that despite the regime's control over the state apparatus, the underlying pressures for a multi-party system were becoming increasingly potent. The analysis concludes with a prognosis on the future of the Panchayat system, evaluating its long-term viability in the face of mounting domestic opposition.

The partyless Panchayat system, established by King Mahendra in 1962, was a unique political experiment that sought to create a form of democracy rooted in Nepali tradition, free from the "corrupting" influence of political parties. This paper offers a critical prognosis of this system as it stood in the late 1980s. The analysis begins by outlining the ideological foundations and institutional structure of the Panchayat system, from the village-level councils to the national legislature, the Rashtriya Panchayat. It then provides a critical assessment of the system's performance over two and a half decades. The study argues that while the system provided a degree of stability and was successful in co-opting local elites, it fundamentally failed to create genuine democratic participation. Power remained highly centralized in the hands of the monarch, and the absence of political parties stifled meaningful debate and accountability. The core of the paper is an examination of the growing opposition to the system. It details the underground activities of the Nepali Congress and various communist factions, their attempts to mobilize public opinion, and the state's repressive response. The research highlights the increasing restiveness of the population, particularly the urban youth and intelligentsia, who were becoming more vocal in their demands for a return to multi-party democracy. The findings suggest that the Panchayat system was suffering from a deep crisis of legitimacy and was struggling to adapt to the changing socio-economic conditions and political aspirations of the Nepali people, setting the stage for the major political upheaval that would occur in 1990.