All eyes are on Nepal as the people of that country go to the polls on April 10. These elections are extremely significant because the representative body that they elect will not only choose the new government and function as a law-making body, but will also draw up a new Constitution for Nepal.

This is the first occasion in South Asia that the people of a country are going to elect a Constituent Assembly to formulate the fundamental law of the land! This is indeed historic, not just for the people of Nepal, but for all the peoples of South Asia.

The elections to the Constituent Assembly and the prospect of a new Constitution are the direct result of the heroic people's uprising of April 2006. Two years ago, the masses of people in Kathmandu as well as other towns of Nepal rose up against the fascist rule of the monarch, Gyanendra. Their uprising was a clear rejection of the monarchy and the whole feudal and reactionary system of rule that had been imposed on the country for decades with the backing of the imperialists. It was an attempt by the people to take their destiny into their own hands. The monarchy that has ruled Nepal since 1768 began to totter.

For several decades before, the people of Nepal have been fighting to get rid of the monarchy and autocracy and establish a republic. However, their struggles have been thwarted by the combination of the monarchy and its foreign backers. More recently, in 1990, there was an uprising against the monarchy, leading to the establishment of a multi party parliament. However, despite different parties coming to power, including the Communist Party of Nepal (UML), singly or in coalition, effective real power remained with the monarchy. The monarchy and autocracy manipulated the political parties to keep themselves entrenched in power. Ultimately, this led to a deep political crisis, as epitomised by the massacre of the royal family in June 2001 and the coming to power of the hugely unpopular King Gyanendra and his son Paras.

The peoples uprising of April 2006 was a culmination of widespread struggle of the workers and peasants and working people of Nepal, in town and countryside, over a whole preceding period. In the course of this struggle, the people had the experience of different forms of struggle including the parliamentary struggle and the armed guerilla warfare in the countryside. They had seen the role of the different political parties, and the monarchy.

A seven party alliance, including the Nepali Congress, the Communist Party of Nepal (UML), and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) came together on a common platform and jointly formed an interim government that was committed to holding elections for a Constituent Assembly that would decide the shape and form of a new political power in Nepal.

The road to the holding of these elections has not been smooth. The elections have already been postponed twice. One of the key issues that has come up has been how to deal with the monarchy which, despite being discredited, has not reconciled itself to its fate and has engaged in intrigue and disruptive activities. Finally on December 28 2007, the Interim Assembly decided by an overwhelming majority to abolish the monarchy and declare Nepal a "federal democratic republican state". This will have to be ratified at the first sitting of the Constituent Assembly that is going to be elected now.

The two years since the April uprising have been years of intense political activity in which the masses of people of Nepal have been expressing their views on what kind of Constitution their country needs. The workers and peasants, women and youth, the peoples of Nepal including the minorities have all been participating in the discussion. Now they will exercise their vote. The Interim Assembly has opted for a mixed system of representation, with 335 seats out of the 601 seats in the Constituent Assembly to be elected on the basis of proportional representation, 240 seats according to the first-past-the-post system, and 26 nominated members.

There are any number of forces within and outside of Nepal who would be happy to see the process of electing a Constituent Assembly and drawing up a new democratic Constitution get scuttled. These include reactionary forces within Nepal who profited from the extreme exploitation and subjugation of the people all these years. The Anglo-American and other imperialists, as well as big neighbours such as the Indian state, also had worked hand-in-glove with the reactionary monarchy in Nepal, and had given it military and political support. Currently these foreign powers are declaring themselves in favour of democracy in Nepal. This is a sign of the strength of the people's movement in Nepal, but the people of Nepal must be extremely wary of these powers who till yesterday were the biggest supporters of the monarchy and who will definitely use their clout to see that their interests in Nepal are protected at all costs.

It is a creditable achievement and a source of inspiration that despite all the problems and dangers the people of Nepal have remained focused on their goal of giving themselves a new Constitution and a new political power. The holding of elections for the Constituent Assembly will be a victory for the courageous people of Nepal and for their movement. People’s Voice calls on the working class and people of India to wholeheartedly support the struggle of the people of Nepal to chalk out their own future, without interference from any outside forces.