Leaders while airing their views at its central committee meeting on Sunday insisted that the party leadership must lobby for the new system of governance, saying the country isn't going to transform under the existing Westminster-parliamentary practice.
Ram Kumari Jhakri, Surendra Manandhar, Yagyaraj Sunuwar and Gaura Prasai, among other members, suggested to the party leadership to lobby for the party's official position. Though only around a dozen members were allowed to speak at the meeting citing time constraints, most of them spoke in favor of changing the system of governance in the new constitution.
The UML in its manifesto and other official policy documents has embraced directly-elected executive prime ministerial system as its official line.
But while signing the 16-point political deal and during other interparty negotiations, the party became ready to adopt the Westminster parliamentary system.
UML leaders file petition at SC against Koshi CM Thapa
"Our focus was on adopting directly-elected prime ministerial system. Our other suggestions were five percent threshold for seats under proportional representation electoral system, reducing the number of lawmakers in the federal parliament, electing all lawmakers for the Lower House and ensuring fully proportional representation in the Upper House," Jhakri told Republica.
A central committee member, however, wasn't optimistic about top UML leaders' sincerely lobbying for the directly-elected prime ministerial system.
"After I listened to Chairman KP Sharma Oils' response on some of our friends' queries, I am not pretty optimistic about our leadership advocating for that," he said.
According to him, Oli insisted on producing the new constitution based on major principles agreed in the 16-point deal. Oli was strictly against any dillydallying on promulgation of the new constitution under any excuse.
Meanwhile, members strongly demanded investigation into Tourism Minister Kripashur Sherpa alleged illicit relationship with a woman.
Prasai and Jhakri at the meeting drew attention of the party leadership over the matter and demanded that the party should punish the minister if found guilty.
They raised the issue at the party meeting following reports that Minister Sherpa allegedly had an illicit relationship with a woman but refused to give legal status to the relationship even after having a child.
-1774196637.webp)
