Top leaders from UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML are expected to finalize the draft at a meeting scheduled for Monday morning. [break]
The parties have tentatively agreed on the jurisdiction and Terms of Reference (ToR) of the commission but the draft which was prepared with the support from Constituent Assembly (CA) secretariat, however, is yet to fix the term of the commission and the number of its members.
The draft has said the proposed commission shall prepare a comprehensive report -- which would also incorporate concerns raised by CA members and expectations of CA thematic committee to get technical support -- and submit it to the government. Earlier, the parties had differed on the ToR and jurisdiction of the commission.
The Maoist leaders were for entrusting the commission only with the authority to make minor amendments in the 14-province model prepared by the CA thematic committee, while other parties were for giving more authority to the commission.
“This is almost a final draft. The only thing we are yet to fix is the term and the number of members to be appointed in the commission,” UML Chief Whip Bhim Acharya told myrepublica.com. Leaders involved in the talks presume that the commission will finally be given some three to four months to prepare the report.
Though the political parties agreed to form such a commission by making Fifth Amendment in the Interim Constitution in July 2008, the issue was strongly raised only after serious disputes surfaced among the political parties while preparing a preliminary report in the CA State Restructuring Committee in January.
Article 138 of the Interim Constitution has said a high level commission shall be constituted to offer suggestions on state restructuring.
The Article also states that the final settlement on the matters relating to the restructuring of the state and form of the federal system of governance shall be as determined by the CA. The commission shall submit the report to the government and the latter will subsequently forward it to the CA that will finally incorporate it while drafting the constitution.
Leaders from the three parties are also expected to simultaneously conclude the issues relating to preparation of the CA calendar of operation and the SRC issues at the meeting Monday.
“We decided to come up with drafts of CA calendar from each party tomorrow. We will sit together and prepare a common draft and finalize it after further discussions,” NC Parliamentary Party leader Ram Chandra Poudel told reporters after the three-party meeting.
The CA secretariat has failed to finalize the CA calendar as it is directly linked with the timeframe to be given to the commission to prepare its report.
CA Chairman Subas Nembang, who also attended the meeting, said he is optimistic that the three-party meeting on Monday will be conclusive in finalizing the calendar and the SRC issues.
Deputy Parliamentary Party leader Narayankaji Shrestha, Chief Whip Post Bahadur Bogati and Dev Gurung from Maoist side, Parliamentary Party leader of Nepali Congress Ram Chandra Poudel, General Secretary Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat and Chief Whip Laxman Ghimire from NC and Chairman Jhalanath Khanal, Yubraj Karki and Agni Kharel from CPN-UML were present in the meeting.
Meanwhile, Nembang also convened a meeting of the chairmen of all the 14 CA committees and whips of the political parties to discuss way ahead on statute drafting process on Sunday.
thira@myrepublica.com
Related story
Janai Purnima, Raksha Bandhan, and Gai Jatra festivals schedule...
