With the country only three weeks away from the poll, the CPN-Maoist has issued a press statement saying, “We humbly request the government and the four major political parties to put off the second CA election and take initiatives to end the existing political deadlock.” The statement signed by CPN-Maoist Chairman Mohan Baidya appeals to other political parties, civil society members and intellectuals to take necessary initiatives in this regard. [break]
The agitating 33-party alliance lead by the CPN-Maoist is against the CA poll, claiming that it is not in the national interest as "it undermines the need for national consensus and is being conducted as per a master-plan of foreign power centers".
Minister for Information and Communications Madhav Prasad Paudel, who is also spokesperson of the government, said, “Though we are always positive about talks for a political settlement, we are not in a position to postpone the election as the Election Commission, the security agencies, the political parties and voters are now wholly engaged in the electoral exercise.”
But CPN-Maoist leader Hari Bhakta Kandel said, “An election without the 33 other parties will hold no meaning nor will it bring the desired constitution.” So this is not a real ´election but selection´ by the foreign power centers to push the country into crisis, he claimed. Despite their repeated attempts to hold a dialogue for consensus, they are forced to boycott the polls being held while ignoring their four-point demand, Kandel added.
If the government and the political parties continue to ignore the CPN-Maoist request, they will be responsible for the resulting environment, he said adding, "we will exercise our democratic right to boycott the poll".
Rejecting the proposal to postpone the election, UCPN(Maoist) leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha said, “The High-Level Political Committee and the government have already repeated their position that there cannot be any compromise on the November 19 election and no change in government.”
“I personally tried my best to bring the Baidya-lead alliance into political consensus but that went in vain in the end,” he said. It would be better to bring the anti-poll forces into the constitution-building process by finding some alternatives, he added. Referring to the proposal, he said, "We still need time to understand the spirit of the proposal if they really want to have a political settlement".
Meanwhile, CPN-UML General Secretary Ishwor Pokharel has said that the postponement of the election is bad not only for the government and the poll contesting parties but the CPN-Maoist will itself be harmed. “So we can have dialogues but cannot run away from the election,” he said.
Government spokesperson Paudel also appealed for the anti-poll forces to be responsible and accountable towards the country.
The CPN-Maoist has also called for the immediate release of its leaders and cadres arrested during protests in various parts of the country.
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