Party leaders involved in the inter-party negotiations said appointments in the constitutional bodies and diplomatic missions abroad is unlikely at least till the apex court gives its final verdict on Karki´s case. [break]
“I do not think appointments in the constitutional bodies are likely at least till the final verdict on Karki´s case. Parties may need to sit again for negotiations for a fresh deal should the apex court pass verdict against his nomination,” said a senior NC leader involved in the negotiations.
The four major political forces --UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and United Democratic Madhesi Front -- had reached a “package agreement” on appointing Neel Kantha Uprety as chief election commissioner, Karki as the head of CIAA, Kayo Devi Yami as the head of Public Service Commission (PSC) and Bhanu Acharya as the Auditor General. Karki was the nominee of the UCPN (Maoist).
The major parties had also reached an informal understanding to recommend other members once the heads of these constitutional bodies were appointed.
Responding to a writ petition filed by advocate Om Prakash Aryal, the apex court on March 22 had first issued a stay order to halt the process of appointing Karki as the CIAA chief till April 7. The hearing on his case has been deferred twice already with the next hearing scheduled for April 23.
NC leader Dr Minendra Rijal, one of key interlocutors, said the issue has not surfaced in recent inter-party meetings. “Though we have not decided anything about shelving those appointments, I think this will happen only after the Supreme Court gives its final verdict on Karki´s case,” he said.
As a section of NC leaders are demanding that all appointments except for that of Election Commission be made only after the election, there are apprehensions that the appointment process could be delayed further. In their four-point demand, 22 CWC members have asked party president Sushil Koirala to refrain from recommending names for appointment as ambassadors and chiefs of various constitutional bodies until the election is held.
Koirala will head the High Level Political Committee (HLPC) for one month now as per the agreement between parties to head the committee on a rotational basis. The Regmi-led poll government is very unlikely to take any decision on appointments without consent from HLPC.
UCPN (Maoist) Vice Chairman Narayankaji Shrestha said the appointments in the key constitutional bodies should not be delayed further. “Since we have already removed legal hurdles involving these appointments, I will raise the issue in the next meeting of HLPC,” said Shrestha. “It is not good to keep constitutional bodies and ambassadorial positions vacant for long.”
Besides constitutional bodies, two key diplomatic missions --New Delhi and New York-have been left without ambassadors for years. While the Nepali mission in New Delhi has remained vacant since a parliamentary committee on International Relations and Human Rights in January 2011 directed then government to recall Nepal´s envoy to India Rukma Samsher Rana for holding an important position in Dabur Nepal, ambassadorial position in Nepal´s permanent mission in New York has fallen vacant after then envoy Gyan Chandra Acharya was appointed as UN Under Secretary General and High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States in August 2012.
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