KATHMANDU, March 17: Four major political forces -- UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) -- have formed an eight-member High Level Political Committee (HLPC) to support the Interim Election Council of Ministers for holding the polls.
A meeting of the four political forces held at the Secretariat of Special Committee on Saturday took the decision to form the HLPC with a provision for it to be headed in rotation by the heads of the four parties for one month at a time. [break]While UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal will first head the HLPC for a month starting Saturday, NC President Sushil Koirala, UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal and UDMF Coordinator Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar will take turns to head the body each succeeding month.
Top leaders of all four major political forces will keep one aide each in the Committee to support them in the HLPC work. As per the agreement reached earlier among the parties, the HLPC is entrusted with creating conducive environment for holding the Constituent Assembly (CA) polls, extend necessary cooperation to the to the CJ-led Interim Election Council of Ministers including providing suggestions and consultations and help forge consensus among political parties to go to election.
CARTOON: RAJESH KC
The meeting has decided to ask the government to provide them Special Secretariat Building to set up the office of the HLPC to help guide the CJ-led government till the CA election. According to a six-point agreement reached during Saturday´s meeting, the four political forces have decided to take ´necessary decision´ to induct additional members in the HLPC after negotiations with political parties other than the four.
The meeting has also appealed to all political parties, civil society and people in general to extend support and participate actively to make the election a success and drive the country toward democratic path. "We have also decided to hold negotiations with the parties that are taking to the streets against the CJ-led Interim Election Council of Ministers," said UML Vice Chairman Bamdev Gautam.
The decision by the four forces comes when 34 fringe parties including Mohan Baidya-led CPN-Maoist have announced protest against the CJ-led Interim Council of Ministers and to bar the president, the head of the interim election council of ministers, and other ministers from visiting districts.
According to Gautam, the meeting also decided to fill the vacant positions in various constitutional bodies such as the Election Commission, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority and the Public Service Commission as constitutional difficulties concerning the appointments of new members in these bodies have already been resolved. The appointments will be made after Regmi-led Interim Election Council of Ministers gets a full shape.
Top leaders of the UCPN (Maoist), NC, UML and UDMF are scheduled to hold a meeting with the head of interim election government Khil Raj Regmi on Sunday to discuss the expansion of cabinet and appointments in the constitutional bodies. Regmi will make appointments as per the suggestion of the leaders of the four parties.
According to a leader involved in the inter-party negotiations, the big four have already reached an understanding to appoint Neel Kantha Uprety as the chief election commissioner, and Dolakh Bahadur Gurung and Ayodhi Prasad Yadav as election commissioners. The three had recently retired from the EC.
Likewise, there has been an understanding among the parties to appoint additional two commissioners including a woman in the EC to hold the elections. "We have yet to pick names," said the leader.
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