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Efforts On forming A New Government Under Chief Justice Continue
By KTM Metro Reporter
February 24, 2013: leaders of the four major political parties continue to sit together this time not at the office of the president but at the former CA hall at New Baneswor in Kathmandu. The head of state has sidestepped after the leaders of the four major political parties agreed on forming a new government under the Chief Justice.
The taskforce set up to formulate a draft agreement on all contentious issues have almost completed the draft but the main contentious issues such as the citizenship and the formation a Truth and Reconciliation Commission have remained almost the same, according to the ‘gorkhapatra’ of today. NC and CPN-UML leaders have been opposing the proposal of the UCPN-Maoist and the UDMF for forming a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the citizenship respectively. As long as these issues remain contentious, the formation of a consensus government remains unsure.
Senior NC leader Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that all political parties have agreed on forming a new government under the Chief Justice but the Chief Justice would be able to take the office of prime minister only after quitting the office of Chief Justice, according to the ‘gorkhapatra’ of today.
Minister for Physical Planning and Works Hridayesh Tripathi today said that the political parties have made a last ditch effort on forming a Chief-Justice-led election government. Since fresh elections to the Constituent Assembly (CA) were the only alternative to avert the constitutional and political problems facing the country, the bid to form a CJ-led government was made, he said at a press conference held by Madhesi Journalists' Society in Birgunj today, according to the RSS news posted onthehimalayantimes.com of today.
President of NC Sushil Koirala yesterday said that his party would not budge a bit from the official decision of the party’s central committee on forming a new CJ-led government. Speaking at the opening of his party’s Gorkha First Town Conference in Gorkha yesterday, the NC chief, said, “The Nepali Congress will never compromise with the norms and values of democracy. Regarding the government formation, it will be pursued with all seriousness as per the decision that the central committee took in view of the feelings of the people.” Speaking at the same event, NC central committee member Gagan Thapa, however, said that he could not accept the proposed chief justice-led government. He urged the party president to declare the party’s central committee decision in clear terms and went on to warn the party “won’t be the part of the Maoist design to form the CJ-led government”. Reiterating that the NC would not let any such government to take shape, Thapa said, “The new government should be formed under a political leadership instead.” This is just the ploy of Maoists to implicate the grand old party in their machination, according to the HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE of yesterday.
Vice-president of NC Ram Chandra Paudel yesterday said that the chief-justice-led election government at this juncture was an apt move to hold timely polls. Speaking at an event held by the Reporters Club Nepal, Tanhun chapter in Damauli yesterday, Paudel defended the formation of a CJ-led government citing no other possible option left to bail the country out of the current crisis. “As the leaders of all four parties – the Unified CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and United Democratic Madhesi Front – have almost agreed to form the CJ-led government to hold polls there is no point in reverting back from the agreement now,” he said, adding, such a government is the only option left after the parties could not agree on a political leadership, according to the HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE of yesterday.
Vice-chairman of CPN-UML Bamdev Gautam yesterday said that his party was ready to accept any neutral Nepali citizen as prime minister to protect the elected institutions in the country. Speaking to reporters in Pokhara yesterday, Gautam, said, “The country is now badly in need of a constitution and early elections. If these are not achieved on time the very existence of political parties will be at stake. Keeping in view of this fact, our party is ready to accept any Nepali citizen as the prime minister for the sake of election and constitution.” Bashing the Nepal Bar Association, Gautam said, “There was no ulterior motive in proposing Supreme Court chief justice-led government other than holding election on time.” The bar should have also ideally cooperated in our attempts to follow the democratic process, he added. “When the four major parties – the Unified CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and United Democratic Madhesi Front – have unanimously agreed on CJ-led election government, the bar’s outcry is unfortunate,” he said, according to the HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE of yesterday.
CPN-UML leader KP Sharma Oli yesterday said that Chief Justice Khila Raj Regmi-led government was the last alternative to hold timely elections to the new Constituent Assembly to offer a way out to the country from the prevailing crisis. Addressing his party’s meeting at Parwanipur in Bara, Oli said, “Parties have no choice but to accept chief justice-led government to hold elections and to guide the country on a democratic path.” Noting that to give an outlet to the country from current crisis is the need of an hour, Oli argued that free and fair polls under the leadership of CJ would extricate the country from the political instability and chaos. Oli went on to say that parties had agreed on chief justice-led government after they failed to forge consensus on the government-led by a political party leader. He stressed the need to dislodge the Baburam Bhattarai-led government sooner than later. “Incumbent government is deliberately prolonging constitutional crisis. Thus, it has to be removed from power soon,” he added, according to HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE of yesterday.
