KATHMANDU, June 8: Even as the ultimatum given by Chairman of Interim Election Council of Ministers Khil Raj Regmi expired on Friday, major parties are nowhere near agreement on the contentious issues related to fresh Constituent Assembly (CA) election.
A meeting of the High Level Political Committee (HLPC) held on Friday ended inconclusively after the major parties refused to budge from their respective stances on the eligibility threshold for proportional seats and the proposal to bar candidates with criminal background from contesting election. [break]
Despite a series of bilateral and trilateral negotiations among the four parties, the nearly six-hour long HLPC meeting failed to resolve the issues.
According to UCPN (Maoist) Vice Chairman Narayankaji Shrestha, UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) have reached an understanding on resolving the contentious issues in line with the 25-point ordinance on resolving constitutional difficulties and the 11-point political deal. “We will hold a meeting with Chairman Regmi tomorrow [Saturday] before sitting for the HLPC meeting,” said Shrestha.
The parties´ latest initiatives to resolve contentious issues related to election laws forwarded by Election Commission (EC) come in the wake of Chairman Regmi warning that the government would take a necessary decision on the election ordinances and send it to the Office of the President for endorsement.
Though EC has already suggested to the government that November 14 or 15 would be suitable for conducting the CA poll, the failure of the parties to reach an agreement has delayed announcement of the poll date.
According to leaders participating in the HLPC meeting, while UCPN (Maoist) and UDMF stood against eligibility threshold for PR seats and barring candidates with criminal background, NC and UML leaders were in favor of the proposal. “We plan to sit with Chairman Regmi for talks tomorrow to discuss the contentious issues in detail,” said a leader participating in the meeting.
The leaders will then hold a meeting in the afternoon to find ways to resolve the disputed issues. Sources said NC and UML are ready to be flexible on reducing the eligibility threshold from 1 vote to 0.7 percent votes and revise the proposal on candidates with criminal background so that the Maoists leaders charged with crimes during the conflict will also be allowed to contest the election. “We are in favor of seeking a middle path solution,” said an NC leader.
Earlier in the day, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had separately held a meeting with Regmi.
The major parties, however, have already agreed on 491-seat CA. As President Dr Ram Baran Yadav has clearly told the party leaders that he would not invoke Article 158 of the Interim Constitution 2007 to resolve the constitutional difficulties, sources said parties are trying to reach agreement in line with the 25-point ordinance endorsed earlier by the president to resolve constitutional difficulties.
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