Nepalese opposition plans protests against local polls

KATHMANDU, Friday (AFP) Nepal's opposition parties said Thursday they would hold a series of protests against local elections scheduled for February which they have threatened to boycott as a sham.

An alliance of the seven main opposition parties, kicked out of power when King Gyanendra took total control in February, said it would hold a series of protest rallies and publicity campaigns next month in the capital Kathmandu and other cities against the February 8 polls.

"By December 30, at least 10 million joint appeals signed by the senior leaders of the seven parties will be published explaining why the municipal polls should be boycotted," it said in a statement renewing its call for boycott.

The leaders of the parties urged voters to boycott the elections, saying the government was pushing the country towards further instability and chaos by announcing the polls. The local elections are part of the king's "roadmap to democracy" plan, which proposes local elections next February and then general elections in 2007.

Foreign powers have been urging the king to restore democracy to the troubled nation as soon as possible, but there has been no indication that the king is bowing to international pressure.

Since 1996, Nepal has been wracked by a Maoist insurgency that has claimed at least 12,000 lives. Gyanendra sacked the government 10 months ago, claiming that it was corrupt and had failed to stem the rebellion.

The Maoists have vowed to disrupt the elections and have called for a nationwide general strike on February 5-11. The rebels have, however, promised not to abduct or kill civilians taking part in the elections even though they have vowed to disrupt the polls, the UN rights office said Wednesday.