Despite honest efforts to create a corruption-free democracy, Nepal's tech-driven youth revolution is facing significant challenges. The activists have relied on Discord to debate and vote. This popular chat app, extensively used by gamers, has a significant loophole:
It allows non-citizens to cast votes, posing a risk of external interference in the Gen-Z-led democratic experiment in Nepal. The group previously accused foreign elements of creating chaos during demonstrations.
To substantiate the flaw, India Today’s Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) team successfully cast several votes on the official ‘Youth Against Corruption’ Discord channel. Currently, there are more than 1.3 lakh members involved. These votes were cast from outside Nepal without valid Nepalese identification. Our team later 'unvoted' to ensure no impact on results. However, there’s a deep-seated concern that suspicious foreign elements might exploit this vulnerability to influence the movement's direction.
(This demo video shows how non-Nepalese can vote. Notably, votes were later unvoted to prevent impacting the results).
Risk of Foreign Influence
These issues trigger grave concerns, particularly in a country like Nepal, struggling with political instability, and having historically faced involvement from external forces like the U.S., China, and Pakistan.
As protesters were casting their votes to select their next representative on Wednesday, the online poll lacked voter identity verification. It allowed anyone to vote in multiple polls without restrictions, prompting questions about the election process's fairness and credibility.
Source: aajtak
Source: aajtak
Who Will Be the Representative?
This week, an online poll with just 3,833 votes indicated former Chief Justice Sushila Karki as the preferred choice by Wednesday evening. However, internal disagreements soon emerged within the community. The resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Tuesday sparked a struggle among young members to decide their representative voice.
Sushila Karki
Sushila Karki, Nepal's first female Chief Justice, has rapidly become a prominent contender. Supporters highlight her profound understanding of law and constitution and her outstanding leadership qualities. A user said that Sushila Karki knows the law and constitution well. She is capable of leading effectively. However, critics have labeled her an 'American puppet.'
Balen Shah
The Mayor of Kathmandu and rapper-engineer Balen Shah has gained significant attention. He boasts a massive online presence, with over 800,000 Instagram followers. Though moderators supported making him the next leader, Shah has not put himself forward for the role.
Sudan Gurung
Sudan Gurung, president of the NGO 'Hami Nepal' and founder of the "Youth Against Corruption" Discord group, has also been considered, yet questions about his funding and backers have arisen. A user accused that "his supporters and funders are arms dealers."
Sagar Dhakal
Oxford-educated Sagar Dhakal, an independent candidate in the 2023 elections, also has youth support. Names like Ravi Lamichhane, Durga Prasai, and Harka Sampang have surfaced as potential representatives. However, many youths believe that most of these faces weren't initially connected with the movement. They are accused of trying to capitalize on the current instability to further their political influence.
