Parties delay voting on Nepal House extension
Nepal’s three major political parties, who are seeking to reach a deal to extend the term of the Constituent Assembly beyond May 28, on Monday delayed a voting on a key bill to amend the Constitution amid continuing deadlock.
Parliamentary Business Advisory Committee on Monday postponed a meeting of the Parliament as per the recommendation made by the major three parties — the Prime Minister’s Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist), the Nepali Congress and the main Opposition Unified CPN-Maoist. Accordingly, Parliament’s sitting for on Monday was postponed till Tuesday. Nepal’s ruling coalition last week introduced a bill in the 601-Assembly to extend the term of the House for one year so that it can finish the task of framing a new Constitution.
CPN-Maoist party, with nearly 35 per cent of the parliamentary seats, have refused to cooperate in extending the Assembly till PM Madhav Kumar Nepal steps down. Without the Maoists support, the ruling coalition would be unable to garner the two-thirds parliamentary vote required to get the proposal approved by the House. A meeting of Unified CPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress and UML on Monday decided to ask the Constituent Assembly chairman to postpone the voting on the bill, Ram Chandra Paudel, Nepali Congress leader, was quoted as saying in the media. The Maoist party had registered a bill opposing the government´s decision to extend the term of the House.
The deadlocked leaders have underlined the need for a consensus rather than voting to deal with the extension of the House. They have decided to meet on Tuesday to forge a consensus on the issue.
Nepal’s smaller parties, including 10 members of the ruling coalition, have stepped up pressure on the government and the Maoists to end the standoff over the issue. Second largest party Nepali Congress, the CPN (UML) and the Maoists have held separate meetings with each other but were unable to reach an agreement amid its failure to promulgate a Constitution as tasked by the landmark 2006 peace deal.
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