"The next general elections will be like a referendum to decide some key political issues such as federalism, system of governance, electoral systems and economic models," Pokharel told Republica on Monday.[break]
According to him, such a election would make the political course much clear for the days to come and that would be good for the country.
A UML standing committee meeting on Saturday decided that the party should become prepared for fresh polls and instructed its erstwhile CA members not to lobby for CA revival. Some senior leaders including party politburo member Surendra Pandey and the party´s erstwhile Chief Whip Bhim Acharya, along with dozens of former lawmakers, are for reviving the body for the purpose of promulgating new constitution based on the work done by the dissolved CA and pave the way for fresh polls for new parliament.
However, Pokharel ruled out any possibility of reinstating the CA saying that reviving the dissolved body would be a regressive move.
He said the only way to bring the derailed political situation onto the right track would be to hold fresh elections and promulgate new constitution through the newly-elected CA on the grounds of work done by the dissolved CA.
"There should be a political understanding to own all the works done by the dissolved CA and the to-be-elected assembly will draft new constitution," said Pokharel.
Lately, ruling UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai have been lobbying in favor of resurrecting the CA while leaders from other major opposition parties Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML stand divided.
Though Dahal has proposed that new constitution can be promulgated based on the works done by the dissolved CA and he is for taking the unresolved disputes to the new parliament.
Earlier, CPN-UML leaders while responding to the party´s dissidents in writing had said that the party can be ready for CA revival if the parties settle the unresolved disputes in the contents of new constitution beforehand.
However, Pokharel described the possibility of settling the thorny disputes in constitution writing in advance as too hypothetical. He didn´t believe that the leaders who had failed to settle the disputes in the last four years would be able to do so in some days to come. "We shouldn´t waste further more time based on such hypothetical idea. It is high time we go for fresh polls without any confusion," he explained.
Pokharel also argued that reviving the CA would also tantamount to opening the Pandora´s Box yet again and reviving the already settled issues as well.
In the NC, the party President Sushil Koirala is against CA reinstatement but Sher Bahadur Deuba and Vice-President Ram Chandra Paudel are for reviving the 601-member body.
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