Top leaders of the alliance floated the demands at a meeting with the Interim Election Council´s talks team in the capital on Sunday.[break]
“Some of their demands are related to us [Interim Election Council] while some of them are related to political parties and the Election Commission (EC),” said Information and Communications Minister Madhav Poudel, adding, “We told them that we will relay the demands to the relevant sides.”
Spokesperson of MPRF Ratneshwar Lal Kayastha, who was present during the talks, said that the members of the Interim Election Council´s talk team assured them that they would move ahead in consensus with all political parties.
“We do not intend to disrupt the polls rather we want the polls to be result-oriented,” stated Kayastha when asked about the rationale of their demands.
FDF has demanded dissolution of the High Level Political Committee (HLPC) stating that polls cannot be conducted in free and fair manner as long as HLPC exists. Top leaders of UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML and UDMF are members of HLPC.
FDF has asked Regmi to step down from the post of chief justice stating that the same individual cannot hold both the posts as it is against democratic norms and values, principle of separation for powers and constitutional checks and balances.
The alliance has maintained that 335 seats should be allocated under the system while rejecting the proposed 240 seats under the proportional representation electoral system. It has argued that the real motive behind reducing the seats under proportional representation system is to curtail representation of Madhesis, women, Muslim, Dalits, and other marginalized groups in the CA.
FDF has also stated that the provision of nominating CA members should be scrapped arguing that it would be undemocratic to send nominated members to an elected institution. The alliance has demanded delineation of constituencies in accordance with the new census report 2012.
Similarly, FDF has said that the political parties should arrive at consensus on basic principles of new statute through an all-party gathering. Likewise, the alliance has demanded that arrangements should be made to allow eligible Nepalis residing abroad to vote in the elections.
When asked about the next round of talks, Poudel, who is also spokesman of the Interim Election Council, said they would hold second round of talks at the convenience of both sides.
Members of the Interim Election Council´s talk team Home Minister Madhav Ghimire, Information and Communication Minister Poudel and Health Minister Bidyadhar Mallik were present during the talks.
Similarly, Chairman of Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (MPRF) Upendra Yadav, National Madhes Socialist Party (NMSP) Chairman Sharat Singh Bhandari, and Chairman of Tamsaling Nepal Rastriya Dal (TNRD), among other leaders represented the FDF during the talks.
The Interim Election Council on Tuesday had sent talks invitations to FDF, CPN-Maoist-led alliance of various 33 fringe political parties, and Federal Socialist Party led by Ashok Rai.
However, CPN-Maoist-led alliance has refused to sit for talks with the Interim Election Council accusing the latter of being unconstitutional.
Major demands:
- HLPC should be dissolved
- Regmi should resign as CJ
- Fresh delineation of electoral constituencies
- Consensus on basic principles of new statute
- No nomination of CA members
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FDF awareness campaign taking place in Kailali on Sunday
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