The leaders want to reach a package deal on all the three issues before forming an election government under the leadership of chief justice.[break]
Top leaders of UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML and Madhes-based parties held talks on issues such as ensuring basic democratic principle of separation of powers and judicial independence.
The parties also couldn´t settle differences over a major provision on the proposed Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the criteria related to voters´ list and some conditions related to determining the rank of former UCPN (Maoist) combatants who have joined Nepal Army (NA).
CPN-UML leader Bhim Rawal said their discussions focused on criteria related to voters´ list, TRC´s provision, rank determination of former UCPN (Maoist) combatants and separation of powers.
The present government has submitted an ordinance on formation of TRC to the president but NC and UML leaders have strongly objected to a provision in the TRC ordinance that has proposed general amnesty to those who were involved in serious human rights violations during the insurgency.
Similarly, the ruling Maoist leaders have been insisting on a political understanding on giving some key posts in the national army to the former UCPN (Maoist) combatants, while NC and UML leaders have maintained that the issue should be settled in accordance with NA standards.
“The issue of rank determination of the former Maoist combatants is being discussed even as we had already agreed that the issue would be settled as per the military act,” Rawal told reporters while emerging from the interparty talks on Thursday evening.
Deputy Prime Minister Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, who is also the coordinator of the United Madhesi Democratic Front, said that they are inching close to agreements on the disputes issues. “Now, there is no big difference on any of the contentious issues,” he said.
NC Vice-president Ram Chandra Paudel said their talks focused on settling all contentious issues in a package and that only a few things are yet to be settled.
Though key leaders from the major political parties have broadly reached an understanding to form a CJ-headed election government, they are yet to settle other contentious issues.
Some NC and UML leaders are still insisting that the CJ should resign from his post once he is appointed the head of the executive. UCPN (Maoist) and Madhes-based parties are for appointing sitting chief justice as the prime minister without making him resign as CJ.
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