The CPN-Maoist, which leads the agitating 33-party alliance, insisted on making Chairman of the Interim Election Council Khilraj Regmi resign from the post of chief justice, and deferring the Constituent Assembly (CA) poll, scheduled for November 19, by four months.[break]
While welcoming the Baidya-led Maoist party´s official commitment to participate in the polls, other parties at the meeting tried to persuade the agitating party to participate in the poll within November itself.
“A political government should be formed while the composition and leadership of such a government can be decided through discussions,” according to one of the points in the four-point proposal presented by the CPN-Maoist at the 19-party meeting convened at the president´s office at Sheetal Niwas, Friday. “If the chief justice, who has been leading the present government, becames ready to resign from the post of chief justice, a political government can be formed even under his leadership,” it further stated.
Among the major political parties, the leaders of the UCPN (Maoist) were quite open in lauding the agitating CPN-Maoist leaders for adopting a policy of participation in the election as against the party´s previous decision to boycott the poll.
“The CPN-Maoist leaders at a meeting today came up with a very flexible proposal. Our party understands that the agitating party´s latest politburo meeting changed its central committee decision to boycott the poll,” UCPN (Maoist) Vice-chairman Narayankaji Shrestha told reporters while emerging from the president´s office.
According to Shrestha, CPN-Maoist Chairman Baidya, while airing his views during the meeting, repeatedly committed his party to participation in the election and urged other leaders not to doubt their pledge.
“The change of policy by the party is a major and welcome development. Other technical issues are secondary. So we shouldn´t fail to seize this opportunity,” Shrestha further explained.
According to participants in the meeting, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal was also full of praise for Baidya for his decision to join the election.
Nepali Congress Vice-president Ram Chandra Paudel said his party insisted on holding the election without deferring its date and under the present government itself. “We can be ready to defer the poll date by 10 to 15 days so that they can do some preparatory work but we can´t postpone it for months,” said Paudel.
He also said the NC is against making any changes in the present government, saying that such a move would only push the country into further political and other complications.
CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal echoed Paudel. He said that his party lobbied for conducting polls in November, arguing that deferral of the date would only further worsen the situation. “We have urged them [CPN-Maoist leaders] to focus all their energies on holding elections in November,” said Khanal.
With the CPN-Maoist coming up with a proposal to join the election, other parties are weighing it from different perspectives.
Some participants, reacting to the UCPN (Maoist) leaders´ views aired at the meeting, indicated that they are for deferring the polls as per the Baidya-led party´s demand, while other parties including the NC, CPN-UML and Madhes-based parties were against any deferral of the poll.
According to sources privy to developments, the NC and UML leaders´ emphasis was to conduct polls within November and exhibit flexibility over the demand for getting Regmi to resign from the post of chief justice.
UML leader Agni Kharel, who was present during the meeting, said that the poll must be conducted within November because deferral would prolong the transitional period and add other complications. Kharel also indicated that his party would be flexible on the demand for Regmi´s resignation as chief justice while standing firm against any poll deferral. “Polls should be conducted within November while we can discuss and find an amicable solution regarding other subjects including the issue of government,” said Kharel.
Party leaders present at the 19-party meeting agreed to do some homework on Saturday and sit for the next round of the all-party meeting on Sunday. They claimed that they would make the talks on Sunday decisive.
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