KATHMANDU, Aug 14 : The High Level Political Committee (HLPC) has almost reached an agreement with the agitating Ashok Rai-led Federal Socialist Party (FSP) and the Federal Democratic Front (FDF) comprising eight various parties including the Upendra Yadav-led Madhesi People´s Rights Forum-Nepal (MPRF-N), over the upcoming November polls.
The two agitating sides reached close to a deal after the parties represented in the HLPC on Tuesday agreed to concede the demands for increasing the number of seats to be allocated under the proportional electoral system for the upcoming Constituent Assembly (CA) poll, request the Election Commission to allow additional time for voters who are yet to register with the EC, and ´dissolve´ the HLPC and make some revisions in the 25-point ordinance and 11-point political agreement. [break]
However, the HLPC and the agitating parties stuck to their stances on the resignation of Chairman of the poll government Khil Raj Regmi from the post of chief justice and adjustment to election constituencies in line with changes in population, as demanded by the FDF. "The talks with the FDF today [Tuesday] have ended on a positive note. But we have not reached any definite conclusion. We have decided to sit again at 5 pm tomorrow [Wednesday] for decisive talks," UCPN (Maoist) leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha told media after the meeting with the FDF.
Shrestha said they have decided to hold further discussions on the demands of the FDF that Chairman Regmi step down as chief justice and that the election constituencies be increased in line with the increase in population as shown by the census of 2011. "I am confident we will be able to take our negotiations to a logical conclusion tomorrow," he said.
Sources said leaders of the parties in the HLPC have proposed to keep the HLPC in ´hibernation´ till elections are held and make adjustments to representation from Madhes in the new Constituent Assembly with the seats allocated for nominations to be made by the cabinet. The latter is meant to respond to demands put forth by the FDF to delineate election constituencies on the basis of population. The big parties have also assured the FDF that they are ready to go for a 601-member CA if that guarantees the participation of the agitating parties in elections on the scheduled date of November 19.
Earlier on August 7, the FDF had presented six various demands to the HLPC, including dissolution of the HLPC, resignation of Khil Raj Regmi as chief justice, delineation of election constituencies on the basis of population, additional time for voter registration, and maintaining intact the 58:42 ratio between the proportional electoral system and first-past-the-post.
FDF Spokesperson Parshu Ram Tamang told media that they are close to an agreement on four of the six demands presented to the HLPC. "But we are yet to reach agreement on delineation of election constituencies on population basis and resignation of the chairman of the Interim Election Council as chief justice," he said. The HLPC and FDF are sitting for talks again on Wednesday afternoon to finalize the deal, with both sides agreeing to exercise maximum flexibility.
After holding talks with the FDF in the morning, the HLPC sat for separate a meeting with the Ashok Rai-led FSP in the evening to respond to the latter´s five-point demand. "We have reached an agreement on all but two issues," FSP General Secretary Rajendra Shrestha told Republica. He said they are yet to reach agreement on holding an all-party political conference to resolve the contentious issues of the new statue and ensuring a 601-member CA as per the previous constitutional arrangements.
The FSP earlier forwarded its five-point demand, that includes dissolution of the HLPC and holding of an all-party conference to settle key political issues related to the new statute, revising the 25-point ordinance and 11-point political deal reached among the four big parties, arrangements of ensuring voting rights to Nepalese citizens living abroad, dissolution of the HLPC and maintaining intact the 58:42 ratio between the proportional electoral and first-past-the-post systems.
Sources said the leaders of the four major parties have agreed to keep the HLPC in ´hibernation´ till elections are held, revise both the 25-point ordinance and 11-point political deal and go for a new CA as per the ´previous arrangement´ at the time of the 2008 poll. But they have not made any specific commitment to the FSP to go for a 601-member CA.
The HLPC, likewise, has told FSP leaders that they would be able to go for an all-party conference if that would bring the Mohan Baidya-led alliance also into the electoral process. "We are holding talks with the Baidya-led alliance Wednesday afternoon. We will then inform you if we can go for an all-party political conference," Shrestha quoted a HLPC leader as saying.
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