Nepal, March 23 -- After a protracted and bitterly contested constitution-making process, seven provinces and 753 local units were carved into the map of Nepal to embrace federalism. During the constitutional debates, the anti-federalists frequently relied on the metaphor of cutting a cake to rile against federalism, arguing that Nepal is not a cake to be divided into arbitrary pieces. The cake metaphor remains relevant even today, if not from the viewpoint of cutting it, then for blending and layering it to describe the nature of power-sharing introduced by Nepali federalism and, especially, whether the political power to constitute a government coalition has been handed down to the provinces.

Identity and capacity

Nepal fairly expedit...