Sawt Falasteen - New Nepali political party fields LGBTIQ candidates

The September 8-9 anti-corruption uprising was triggered by anger over a brief government ban on social media, and at least 77 people were killed.

The uprising built on public frustration after years of economic stagnation and allegations of entrenched political corruption.

The Inclusive Socialist Party, with a membership of more than 500 people, mostly from sexual and gender minorities, will field six candidates.

"I have been requesting previous parliamentarians to raise our issues," Numa Limbu, a third-gender candidate who leads the party, told AFP.

"But, if we have a seat at the table, then others don't have to speak for us."

Limbu said that the party understands wider issues of marginalised communities, and will tackle the needs not only of the LGBTIQ community but also those of youth and women.

"We believe that friends from our party and community will reach the parliament," Limbu said.

Elections will be held for the 275-seat House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, with 165 chosen in a direct vote and 110 through party lists.

Some other political parties have listed LGBTIQ candidates in their proportional representation lists but have not fielded direct candidates.

Nepal has some of South Asia's most progressive laws on LGBTIQ rights.

In 2023, an interim order from the Supreme Court allowed same-sex and transgender couples to register their marriages.

However, no one from the community has held public office since 2008, when Sunil Babu Pant, an openly gay man, became a lawmaker, nominated under the proportional representation system.

Former parliamentarian Pant, who has been at the forefront of pushing for changes, is an adviser to the Inclusive Socialist Party.

"Absence of representation from the community has meant that rights ensured to us by the constitution have not translated to laws. We also have to go to address that," he said.

More than 900,000 people in Nepal identify as a sexual minority, according to the leading rights group the Blue Diamond Society.

Despite legal strides, many LGBTIQ people still face discrimination in employment, healthcare and education.

A.Suleiman--SF-PST