Forgot your password?
Extension Of Term Of Constituent Assembly
By KTM Metro Reporter
May 18, 2011: extension of the term of Constituent Assembly (CA) has been a hot topic in Nepal because its term is ending on May 28, 2011 without completing its mandate to complete the writing of a new constitution and the promulgation of it.
Nepalis had elected CA on April 10, 2008 for two years to write and promulgate a new constitution. Its term was extended for a year in the last year but it has not completed its tasks, yet.
According to the latest news report, Chairman of CA Subhas Nemwang has said that at least 46 weeks are required for completing all the formalities of completing and promulgating a new constitution if everything goes smoothly. A year has only 52 weeks; so the extension of the term of CA for a year would be the most reasonable.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal, Chairman of UCPN-Maoist Prachanda and Chairman of Madheshi People’s Rights Forum-Nepal Upendra Yadav sat together and discussed the ways and means of bringing the leaders of other political parties such as Nepali Congress and others to the understanding of the need for extending the term of CA.
The number of votes of these political parties headed by these three leaders falls short of having two-thirds majority. So, they need some of other Madheshi parties or other small parties to make two-thirds majority for extending the term of CA if the Nepali Congress (NC) sticks to its current stand on not extending the term of CA in the current political situation. However, the NC leaders have not presented any other alternatives to the extension of the term of CA.
Leaders of Madheshi political parties other than of Upendra Yadav have been repeating their demands for enforcing the previous agreements they have reached with the Government of Nepal for supporting the extension of the term of CA. However, these leaders have shown the tendency of quickly forgetting the enforcement of previous agreements as soon as they get ministerial portfolios but they come back with their demands when they are out of power.
Some NC leaders have been saying in public that they are not for extending the term of CA as long as the Maoists keep the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), as long as the Maoists don’t return their land seized during the conflict period and even after that, and as long as the Maoists don’t dismantle the semi-army structure of YCL.
One of the Vice-chairmen of UCPN-Maoist Mohan Vaidya ‘Kiran’ has made it clear that his party keeps the PLA as long as a new constitution is not promulgated not to mention the return of land and tearing down the structure of the YCL.
Thus, some political leaders of UCPN-Maoist and NC have been bullying each other. The victim is certainly the writing of a new constitution.
