Can local elections strengthen peace? Insights from post-conflict Nepal

The value of post-conflict elections has been the matter of a controversial academic debate. However, this literature largely neglects local elections. We systematically deduce and study three mechanisms on how local elections might impact societal peace. The first focusses on the potential negative effects of identity-based mobilisation before an election, while the latter two lead us to expect positive effects – either through increased participation through the vote during an election, or improved responsiveness as a consequence after an election. We study each of these in post-conflict Nepal, where local elections were reintroduced in 2017. Based on 79 qualitative interviews at the national and local level we find that the reintroduction of local elections had a positive impact on societal peace. In particular, the results show that the elections increased participation and responsiveness, which has positively affected political trust and reduced (the potential for) political violence. Overall, this article contributes to the academic debate on the role of elections for peace, calling attention to the positive role local elections can play in a post-conflict context.