CJ-led Government-22

Siddhi B Ranjitkar

CPN-Maoist used to bully the four-party political mechanism to take its concerns into account before making a final decision on the elections to a new CA; now the four-party political mechanism has been really bullying the CPN-Maoist stating participate in the elections if it likes, if not it may remain out of the elections. Once, the CPN-Maoist had declared that the Interim Election Council of Ministers (IECM) was unconstitutional, and the CPN-Maoist would not deal with it. Similarly, the CPN-Maoist had said that it would not recognize the four–party political mechanism. Now, the CPN-Maoist has started off having talks with the team of the IECM and the four-party political mechanism for the fear of being excluded from the elections. The Federal Democratic Front (FDF) reached a six-point agreement with the four-party political mechanism on August 15, 2013.

The team of the so-called 33-party front led by the CPN-Maoist and the team of the IECM held talks in Kathmandu on August 13, 2013 to explore how the CPN-Maoist could be accommodated in the process of holding elections to a new CA scheduled for November 19. Both sides said that the talks had been for knowing each other and seeing how to proceed with the talks in the future. The CPN-Maoist laid the 18-point demand on the table, as it did at the talks held with the four-party political mechanism. The government team told the 33-point front that the government would study the 18-point demand, and also told them to come with a small team to the talks in the future.

The CPN-Maoist has been enlightened to some extent, and it has recognized the IECM as constitutional. Leaders of the CPN-Maoist have realized that they cannot topple the IECM; they have no means to do it. They could go to the Supreme Court of Nepal but they did not. They tried to take the issue to the streets but the people in general did not accept it. For example, breaking a model ballot box in public caused a huge public outcry against it. The only option left to them is to talk to the IECM, and save the face.

The four-party political mechanism also has held talks with the CPN-Maoist on August 14, 2013. Leaders of the four-party political mechanism have said that they could amend the 11-point agreement, and the 25-point Ordinance to meet certain demands of the CPN-Maoist but they are not for scrapping the election process, dissolving the IECM for forming an all-party government, and postponing the elections.

Concerning the election date, leaders of the four-party political mechanism have been sending a conflicting message. Chairman of UCPN-Maoist has said that an amendment to the election date could be made if the CPN-Maoist were serious to participate in the elections, if not, then he was not for discussing any agenda of the CPN-Maoist. Chairman Prachanda also was not for dissolving the current government. President of NC Sushil Koirala has been saying that he is not for changing the election date no matter whether the opposition parties will participate in the elections or not. President of NC Koirala has not changed his position so far.

CPN-Maoist has been sticking to its demands for dissolving the IECM, and for forming an all-party government for holding elections. Leaders of the CPN-Maoist want to hold a round table conference of all the political parties represented in the dissolved CA, and then build a consensus on forming an all-party government to hold the elections to a new CA. However, leaders of the four-party political mechanism have reached the stage of offering to the leaders of the 33-party front led by the CPN-Maoist a package deal setting aside the formation of an all-party government for holding elections, and then to say, “take it or leave it.”

Similarly, the four-party political mechanism has been holding talks with the Federal Democratic Front (FDF) headed by Upendra Yadav of Madheshi People’s rights Forum-Nepal, and the Federal Social Party headed by Ashok Rai. At the talks with these opposition parties, leaders of the four-party political mechanism have said that they are willing to meet the demands for increasing the number of seats of the Constituent Assembly (CA) for the proportional representation, extending the time for registering names of the voters that had missed to register, and suspending the actives of the four-party political mechanism but the Chairman of IECM Khil Raj Regmi is not going to quit the office of the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal.

The FDF leader Upendra Yadav has been repeatedly saying that the Chairman of IECM not quitting the position of the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal has violated the principle of the separation of power between the judiciary and the executive but Mr. Yadav has been refusing to understand that the position of the chief justice held by Khil Raj Regmi has been suspended, Regmi has no role to play in the judiciary. Regmi has been keeping the position of the chief justice, as the 25-point ordinance has made the provision for the chief justice to be the chairman of IECM. After completing the elections to a new CA, Chairman of IECM Regmi will go back to his former position of the chief justice, and will enjoy the benefits coming out of this position in the future.

Finally, the four-party political mechanism and the FDF reached a six-point agreement on August 15, 2013. They have agreed to increase the number of the members of the CA from 491 to 585: 240 members will be directly elected, 335 will be elected through the proportional representation, and council of ministers will appoint 10 members, to keep the 240 constituencies unchanged, and to request the Election Commission for opening the voter’s registration for two weeks to include the missed voters in the past, and the FDF will be included in the four-party political mechanism. The EC has already announced the opening of the registration of the voters missed in the previous registration from August 17 to 23, 2013.

Following the agreement the FDF and the four-party political mechanism reached, the elections to be held in November will not be of the four political parties only. The four-party political mechanism has taken a new shape; nobody can charge that the four-party political mechanism is a syndicate that has been imposing its decision on other political parties. Now, Chairman of CPN-Maoist Mohan Vaidhya has to think twice whether he has to listen to the majority voice or not.

Most probably, chairman of the Federal Social Party Ashok Rai will go with the FDF, as the demands of Ashok Rai are similar to the demands of the FDF. However, neither Rai nor the four-party political mechanism has said anything about it.

CPN-Maoist has been precarious position, as it has been unable to win any concession from the four-party political mechanism rather the FDF split away from the 33-party front has won certain concessions, and the FDF is on the way to the elections to a new CA. Facing strong public opinions against disrupting the elections, and finding the four-party political mechanism not in a mood to compromise on the election process, the CPN-Maoist leaders have been taking damage control measures.

How far, the 33-party front led by the CPN-Maoist will be able to win even some concessions in the talks with the IECM remains to be seen. IECM is the product of the four-party political mechanism, and it is guided by the four-party mechanism. So, the CPN-Maoist would hardly get anything from the IECM that they could not get from the four-party political mechanism.

Leaders of the four-party political mechanism have said that the final date for talking to the opposition parties is August 16, 2013. They have not mentioned whether they will not talk after that day or not. However, they have made it pretty much clear that they are not willing to drag on the inconclusive and unproductive talks with the opposition political parties.

Leaders of the four-party political mechanism have been holding the talks with the opposition political parties and fronts to demonstrate the international community that they are for trying to persuade the opposition parties to participate in the elections. In fact, they have persuaded the FDF to join the election process. The international community has been for holding elections scheduled for November 19, 2013 bringing on board as many political parties as possible for participating in the elections.

Chairman of UCPN-Maoist Prachanda has said that the CPN-Maoist is not for taking part in the elections, no matter how many of their demands are met. Probably, this is hint of he is not going to take any trouble to have talks with the 33-party front including the CPN-Maoist.

Leaders of the four-party political mechanism have been saying that they have been ready to meet all the demands of the 33-party front including the CPN-Maoist except for dissolving the IECM, and for postponing the elections. However, the CPN-Maoist has been sticking to its demands for dissolving the current government, and holding a round table conference of all political parties, and then for building a consensus on forming an all-party government to hold elections. Now, it seems impossible for the CPN-Maoist to achieve all these demands.

August 17, 2013