A meeting of the top leaders of the four political parties held at President´s Office in Shital Niwas Saturday evening decided to form a task force comprising two members from each party to do necessary homework on the modality of the proposed government under sitting chief justice and make recommendations for removing constitutional difficulties to pave the way for CA polls by May end. [break]
The parties have decided to hamer out a “package deal” on all issues related to the election in the four-party meeting scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
Maoist leaders Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Khim Lal Devkota, NC leaders Bimalendra Nidhi and Minendra Rijal, UML leaders Bhim Rawal and Agni Kharel and UDMF leaders Hridayesh Tripathi and Jitendra Dev are in the taskforce. “The task force will do the necessary homework for a policy level decision on technical and other issues related to the interim government and fresh polls,” said a senior leader involved in the talks.
Dahal speaks to media. (Photo: Keshab Thoker)
The leader said that top leaders of all the four major parties are scheduled to meet Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi to ask him to head an interim government for holding election after taking a policy level decision Sunday afternoon. The four parties are, likewise, scheduled to hold an all-party meeting Monday morning to endorse the decision.
Though the meeting was scheduled to take a formal decision on CJ-led government for holding polls, the meeting with president was put off after UML leaders argued that settling the name of the person to head the new government alone won´t be enough. They had maintained that the parties reach a “package deal” on issues such as amending the interim constitution to facilitate polls, filling up vacant positions in the Election Commission, modality of the election government, relationship between the non-party government and political parties.
Talking to media persons after the meeting, NC leader Dr Ram Sharan Mahat said the task force will work out the modality of the interim government, election date and electoral system and resolve constitutional difficulties. The proposals made by the task force will be presented in the four-party meeting scheduled for 2 pm Sunday at the President´s Office in Shital Niwas for official endorsement.
Among other things, the parties also need to settle other crucial issues such as registration of eligible voters who are yet to register their names in the voters´ list, electoral system, and delineation of electoral constituencies in line with the 2011 census. The task force will prepare a draft proposal incorporating all these issues for a “package agreement”.
Khanal after the meeting. (Photo: Keshab Thoker)
“The country is heading toward consensus,” said UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal after the meeting with the president. “Discussions are under way to settle issues such as the election date, electoral system and the modality of the government under chief justice.”
The president is scheduled to hold an all-party meeting in Shital Niwas Monday to officially announce formation of chief justice-led election government. Party leaders said the president will also announce fresh election date after the all-party meeting.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai through his twitter account @brb_laaldhwoj said that the government under the leadership of CJ will not violate the principle of separation of powers.
"An acting chief justice will be appointed as the chief of the judiciary. The chief justice will return to his usual job after holding election. Therefore, this will not violate the principle of separation of powers," the PM in his twitter account said.
CARTOON: RABIN SAYAMI
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