Under the FSPN-proposed system of governance, the president, would appoint a prime minister to effectively run the government. The prime ministerial candidate picked by the president would have to be approved by parliament. The system of governance proposed by the party is similar to the model floated by the UCPN (Maoist).[break]
FSPN has argued that only a presidential system of government can bring about political stability in the country. “The president will be the chief executive of the federal government. The president and the vice-president should be from different gender, province and ethnic group,” reads the manifesto.
A group of leaders led by former CPN-UML Vice-Chairman Ashok Rai quit the party following a dispute with the party establishment over the model of federalism and formed FSPN last year. The dissident leaders from UML and other parties have vowed to fight for ethnic-based federal model.
The party has said the country should be delineated primarily on the basis of ethnic identity. It has stood for adopting a 14-province model proposed by majority members of the now-dissolved Constituent Assembly´s thematic committee on state restructuring.
The provinces proposed by the CA committee are Limbuwan, Kirant, Sunkoshi, Tamsaling, Sherpa, Newaa, Mithila-Bhojpura-Koch-Madhesh, Narayani, Lumbini-Abadh-Tharuwan, Magarat, Tamuwan, Karnali, Jadan and Khaptad.
The party has said the federal system to be adopted should be based on cooperative model. “As this type of federalism adopts a policy of economic equality to maintain financial balance, all communities based on their ethnic identities can enjoy autonomy and self-governance,” read the manifesto.
The party has proposed forming a high-level commission to carve out the provinces. The party is for owning all the provisions endorsed by the thematic committees of the dissolved CA and incorporating them in the new constitution.
Though the party has proposed presidential system, it has stood for “inclusive cooperative federal government”. It is for a system in which executive heads at all levels of governance should be elected directly by the people.
The party is for adopting a pro-socialist mixed model of economy. “The country can be developed through state, public, cooperative, community and private economy,” it said.
Like other major political parties, FSPN has also announced some populist programs such as ending load-shedding within five years, seizing property and assets earned through corruption and distributing it to the landless and the proletariat.
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