KATHMANDU, Aug 23: With the submission of the revised draft constitution at a full-House meeting of the Constituent Assembly (CA) Sunday evening, the CA secretariat has stepped up the final work of producing a new constitution through the CA.
Officials said that as per the latest plan, the secretariat is working under a timeline to conclude all the remaining procedures and promulgate the new constitution by mid-September.
The full CA on Sunday decided to allow three days for lawmakers to study the revised draft.
After the study time ends, lawmakers will be allocated five days at the most for general discussions on the revised draft constitution at the full CA meeting.
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Lawmakers are likely to get five minutes each to put forth their views on the contents of the new constitution.
“We plan to conduct marathon meetings of the CA. It may last for 11 hours a day. If our plans are implemented, it will take five days at the most to conclude the deliberations,” said CA Chairman Subas Nembang.
After concluding the general deliberations, CA members will be asked to register their amendment proposals on any of the provisions. For this, they will be given around four to seven days, based on the situation at the time.
Major parties are divided over this. The UCPN (Maoist) is for allowing seven days while CPN-UML leaders believe that there is no need to allocate more than four days for the purpose.
The CA will then conduct article-wise deliberations and officials estimate they will conclude this stage within three to four days because they believe that lawmakers who air their views during the general deliberations will not deliberate again during the article-wise discussions. “But, if anyone demands time, we can’t stop them from airing their views,” said one official.
After this, the procedures for the final endorsement of the constitution will commence.
Nembang said each and every article will be endorsed by a two-thirds majority of the entire CA.
The decisions will be taken through voice-vote unless 10 percent of the total lawmakers demand decisions through vote by signature.
Officials can’t estimate how many days it may take to endorse each and every article of the entire constitution.
“There may be some changes of a day or two in the date for promulgation of the new constitution but it is certain the country will get its constitution soon,” said Nembang.
The secretariat plans to organize a special ceremony at the CA meeting hall to which President Ram Baran Yadav will be invited to put his signature to the new constitution and unveil it.
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