The two-month-old interim government under Prime Minister Sushila Karki is struggling to juggle its primary task of conducting the March 5 parliamentary elections amid current and planned street protests over other issues.

Various groups, from cooperative victims to anti-cable car activists, are preparing fresh demonstrations, fuelling doubts about whether a conducive environment for the polls can be ensured amid political unrest and administrative distractions.

Former Chief Justice Karki, who became the Prime Minister of the interim government formed in the wake of the Gen Z movement of September 8 and 9, has a clear mandate to hold parliamentary elections on March 5.

Yet critics accuse the government of drifting from its main mandate, even as it works to create a conducive environment for the elections. Two months after its formation, major political parties, especially the CPN-UML led by the immediate past prime minister KP Sharma Oli who was ousted by the Gen Z movement, remain unconvinced that the government has ensured a proper environment for the snap polls.

While political parties continue to claim that the government has not ensured a suitable election climate, the government has been dismissing such claims. Amid this, various groups are preparing to take to the streets to press their demands, saying they will be compelled to launch protests if their concerns are not addressed.

The National Federation of Cooperative Victims held a press conference on Tuesday, warning of an agitation from November 13. Accusing previous governments of repeatedly failing to implement past agreements, the federation said that the interim government too has ignored the voices of cooperative victims. Federation President Kushluv KC warned at the press conference that they would go ahead with protests if the government does not address their longstanding grievances.

As various groups continue to put forward their demands to a government formed primarily to conduct elections, a question arises: should the government focus on addressing the protesters’ demands, or should it concentrate entirely on the election process?

KC argues that the current government must fulfil the demands of their movement, which he says became a national issue after the Gen Z protests. He adds that while the government may choose not to address politically motivated issues at the moment, it must immediately respond to the grievances of around 1.4 million cooperative victims.

“The individuals involved in the embezzlement of cooperative funds enjoy political protection,” said KC. “If the citizens’ government formed after the Gen-Z movement also fails to take action and return the victims’ savings, we have no hope that any post-election government will do so either.”

He further said that although they have been carrying out phase-wise protests for the past two years, previous governments only signed agreements but never implemented them. KC warned that while their past protests have been peaceful, if the current government also fails to act, they will be compelled to resort to violent agitation.

Likewise, the ‘No Cable Car to Pathibhara Temple’ group, which has been protesting against a cable car project in the eastern hill district of Taplejung citing heritage and indigenous Limbu concerns, has announced a new phase of protests. The group’s leader, Prem Yakten, said they had already met Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal to inform him of local concerns over the project and were now seeking an appointment with the prime minister.

“If the discussions with the prime minister do not go well, we are preparing to launch a new phase of protests from November 29,” Yakten said.

He added that since the current administration is a citizens’ government formed after a popular uprising, they believe the government understands their demands and expect them to be addressed.

Earlier this week, the government asked for a two-week grace period to address the demands of local residents of the Bancharedanda landfill on the Dhading-Nuwakot border, after they blocked Kathmandu Valley’s garbage disposal for several days.

On the one hand, various groups that had been staging phase-wise protests with different demands during the terms of the previous government are now stepping up pressure on the election-focussed government to address their issues.

On the other hand, Sudan Gurung, one of the leaders of the Gen Z movement instrumental in forming the current government, demanded on Thursday via social media that Home Minister Aryal resign. He also warned that if their demands are not addressed, they would disrupt the election environment.

Meanwhile, the group led by Durga Prasain, who is now a self-proclaimed monarchist but who was once aligned with both the CPN (Maoist Centre) and later the CPN-UML, has announced a protest for November 23. Prasai is notorious for making provocative statements. However, the government claims that Prasain will participate in the upcoming elections.

According to sources, the government is preparing to hold formal talks with Prasain within a few days, once he returns home from his medical checkup in India, and request him to take part in the election either as an independent candidate or through a political party.

The election-focussed government has been taking steps typical of an elected administration, such as transferring the head of the state-run power utility, Nepal Electricity Authority, and recalling ambassadors from 11 different countries. At the same time various groups are mobilising for street protests.

As the weapons and ammunition lost during September Gen Z protests still not fully recovered, questions remain over whether a truly peaceful environment for elections can be established.

However, Minister for Information and Communications Jagadish Kharel, who is also government spokesperson, claims that these developments will not disrupt the election environment. Kharel says that although the Karki-led administration was formed with the mandate to conduct elections, it still has to carry out its day-to-day responsibilities.

Kharel further explains that a democratic system ensures the right of citizens to take to the streets to voice their demands. “The government is not in favour of ignoring public dissent, and it will address grievances through dialogue while ensuring that the elections are held on schedule,” Kharel emphasised.