Nepalese governmental system referendum, 1980
Encyclopedia
A referendum on the system of government was held in Nepal
on 2 May 1980. Voters were offered the choice between a non-partisan panchayat system and a multiparty system. The panchayat system received a slim majority of 54.8%. Voter turnout was 66.9%.
in the spring of 1979, King Birendra made a public declaration on May 23, 1979 that a referendum with universal adult suffrage with secret vote would be held in which the people of Nepal would be able to choose between introducing a multiparty system or retain the non-party panchayat regime.
On 21 January 1980, King Birendra published the Referendum Rules, stating that after the referendum 'His Majesty shall make such provisions in the Constitution of Nepal as may deem necessary'.
The panchayat partyless system option got a majority in 54 out of the 75 districts of Nepal
. The highest percentage of pro-panchayat votes was recorded in Dolpo
(96.4%), the lowest in Bhaktapur
(34.4%). The highest scores for the multiparty system option were recorded in Bhaktapur (65.6%), Udaipur
(65.1%), Siraha
(64%) and Bardiya
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
on 2 May 1980. Voters were offered the choice between a non-partisan panchayat system and a multiparty system. The panchayat system received a slim majority of 54.8%. Voter turnout was 66.9%.
Background
With the backdrop of mass student protests against his rule1979 Nepalese student protests
The 1979 student protests in Nepal were a series of protests amongst the student community in Nepal during the months of April and May 1979 . The clashes that occurred had a significant historical impact, as it forced the monarchy to concede to holding a referendum on the possibility of a...
in the spring of 1979, King Birendra made a public declaration on May 23, 1979 that a referendum with universal adult suffrage with secret vote would be held in which the people of Nepal would be able to choose between introducing a multiparty system or retain the non-party panchayat regime.
On 21 January 1980, King Birendra published the Referendum Rules, stating that after the referendum 'His Majesty shall make such provisions in the Constitution of Nepal as may deem necessary'.
Method of voting
Nepalese citizens aged 21 and above were eligible to vote. The voters would mark their choice by stamping either of two colours on the ballot paper, blue for the multiparty system and yellow for the non-party panchayat system. It was speculated at the time that the choice of colours had not been coincidental, since the yellow colour was associated with saintly religious qualities. There is no empirical evidence though, that the choice of colours affected the outcome of the vote.Results
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Panchayat | 2,433,452 | 54.8 |
| Multi-party | 2,007,965 | 45.2 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 372,069 | |
| Total | 4,813,486 | 100 |
| Source: Nohlen et al., Rishikesh | ||
By region
| Choice | Hills | Inter-Tarai | Mountains | Plains | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Panchayat | 1,126,169 | 57.2 | 87,895 | 34.0 | 228,617 | 71.1 | 848,754 | 44.6 |
| Multi-party | 844,124 | 48.8 | 139021 | 66.0 | 86,658 | 28.9 | 93,8162 | 55.4 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 158,581 | |||||||
| 20,645 | ||||||||
| 25,061 | ||||||||
| 69,041 | ||||||||
| Total | 2,127,615 | 100 | 278,780 | 100 | 340,338 | 100 | 2,066,753 | 100 |
| Source: Rishikesh | ||||||||
The panchayat partyless system option got a majority in 54 out of the 75 districts of Nepal
Districts of Nepal
Nepal's 14 administrative zones are subdivided into 75 districts . These districts are listed below, by zone...
. The highest percentage of pro-panchayat votes was recorded in Dolpo
Dolpa District
-Geography:Dolpa is the largest district of Nepal covering 5.36% of the total landmass of the country. Located between 28°24’ N - 29°43’ N latitude, and 82°24’ E - 83°38’ E longitude, the elevation in Dolpa ranges from above sea level...
(96.4%), the lowest in Bhaktapur
Bhaktapur District
Bhaktapur district, located in the eastern part of Kathmandu valley, is the smallest among the seventy-five districts of Nepal. The district, with Bhaktapur as its district headquarters, covers an area of 119 km² and has a population of 225,461....
(34.4%). The highest scores for the multiparty system option were recorded in Bhaktapur (65.6%), Udaipur
Udaipur district
Udaipur District is one of the 33 districts of Rajasthan state in western India. The historic city of Udaipur is the administrative headquarters of the district....
(65.1%), Siraha
Siraha District
-Village Development Committees :*Arnama Lalpur*Arnama Rampur*Asanpur*Ashokpur Balkawa*Aurahi*Ayodhyanagar*Badharamal*Barchhawa*Bariyarpatti*Basbita*Bastipur*Belaha*Belhi*Betauna*Bhadaiya*Bhagawanpur*Bhagawatipur*Bhawanipur...
(64%) and Bardiya
Bardiya District
Bardiya DistrictBardiya DistrictBardiya DistrictBardiya DistrictBardiya DistrictBardiya DistrictBardiya DistrictBardiya DistrictBardiya District. In general, the multiparty system option performed better in areas with higher literacy levels.
The Hindu community was more or less evenly divided between the two options. The Muslim community is said to have voted predominately in favour of the panchayat system. Ethnic groups like Tamang
, Sherpa
, Magar
, Gurung
and Kirati overwhelmingly supported the panchayat option, whilst the Tharu are said to have been predominately in favour of the multiparty system.
The Hindu community was more or less evenly divided between the two options. The Muslim community is said to have voted predominately in favour of the panchayat system. Ethnic groups like Tamang
Tamang
The Tamangs are the ancient and original inhabitants of the mountains and plains of the Himalayan regions of Nepal and India. Their ancient capital being Yambu - modern day Kathmandu. They have their own distinct culture, language and religion. Their ancestral domain is popularly known as...
, Sherpa
Sherpa people
The Sherpa are an ethnic group from the most mountainous region of Nepal, high in the Himalayas. Sherpas migrated from the Kham region in eastern Tibet to Nepal within the last 300–400 years.The initial mountainous migration from Tibet was a search for beyul...
, Magar
Magar
The Magars are an indigenous ethnic group of Nepal whose homeland extends from the western and southern edges of the Dhaulagiri section of the high Himalayas range south to the prominent Mahabharat foothill range and eastward into the Gandaki basin. In Nepal, there are a good number of people who...
, Gurung
Gurung
The Gurung people, also called Tamu, are an ethnic group that migrated from Mongolia in the 6th century to the central region of Nepal. Gurungs, like other east Asian featured peoples of Nepal such as Sherpa, Tamang, Thakali, Magar, Manaaggi, Mustaaggi, and Walunggi, are the indigenous people of...
and Kirati overwhelmingly supported the panchayat option, whilst the Tharu are said to have been predominately in favour of the multiparty system.
