According to Koirala´s aide, the meeting will be held at the HLPC Secretariat at New Baneshwar at 5 pm. The meeting will dwell on concurrent political issues, including the need for creating conducive political environment for the polls by bringing the agitating parties onboard the election process. [break]
The HLPC meeting comes in the wake of criticisms from various quarters that Koirala, whose one month-term as the coordinator is expiring on Wednesday, did not take any initiatives to address the concerns of the agitating parties.
Amid controversy over the nomination of former chief secretary Lok Man Singh Karki as chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), NC leaders had come down heavily on Koirala for failing to call HLPC meeting to rethink Karki´s nomination.
“Karki´s appointment as the chief of CIAA could have been avoided had Koirala called the HLPC meeting on time,” argued NC CWC member Gagan Thapa.
As per the understanding between the major parties on heading the High Level Political Committee on a rotational basis, NC President Koirala chaired the committee from April 14 replacing UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Chairman of CPN-UML Jhalanath Khanal will head the HLPC starting Wednesday. The committee was formed on March 17.
As the political parties differ over the threshold provision for seats under the proportional representation system, the HLPC meeting is set to discuss the issue in detail and take a decision. The issue of bringing down seats under the proportional quota and barring candidates with criminal background from contesting election will also figure in the meeting.
Threshold ordinance to be forwarded to prez if no consensus
Minister for Physical Infrastructure, Transportation and Urban Development Chhabi Raj Panta said the government would soon forward an election ordinance with the provision of threshold for proportional seats if the parties fail to forge consensus.
Speaking at an interaction in capital on Sunday, Panta said, “We will do our best to strike a consensus, but if there is no consensus we will forward an ordinance with the provision of threshold for proportional seats to the president.” He also said that the one percent threshold provision for proportional seats is practiced in many democratic countries of the world.
Panta also added that the government would announce the poll date by the third week of April soon after the election-related ordinance is finalized.
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