Agencies/Kathmandu
The Maoist-led ruling alliance in Nepal yesterday slammed President Ram Baran Yadav’s deadline for parties to form a national consensus government, terming it unconstitutional, even as the opposition lauded the decision.
In a bid to break the political deadlock, President Yadav on Friday fixed November 29 deadline for warring parties to come up with a prime ministerial candidate and form a national
consensus government.
While opposition parties have lauded the president’s call for unity government as appropriate and constitutional, ruling parties, UCPN-Maoist and United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF), have decried president’s call saying that it is not consistent to the
constitution.
As per the Article 38 (1) of the interim constitution, Yadav had formally called upon the parties to come up with a candidate to lead a national unity government by 4pm on Thursday.
Criticising the president’s move UCPN-Maoist spokesman Agni Sapkota said that the “the president’s letter asking the political parties to form a consensus government has bypassed the prime minister and the cabinet.”
Sapkota said the president’s move was unconstitutional and he used the right that was against the constitutional
provision.
Both the main opposition parties, CPN-UML and the Nepali Congress have welcomed the president’s decision.
Meanwhile, former prime minister and Rastriya Janata Party president Surya Bahadur Thapa hailed the president’s move saying that it was a positive one and it will help in resolving the ongoing political crisis.
President’s move has helped to end the six-month long political deadlock after the dissolution of the constituent assembly without drafting a constitution, Thapa said at a reception in Kathmandu yesterday.
This was not the sudden move of the president, as he had been time and again asking political parties to resolve the stalemate through consensus, he pointed out. “I consider it as a positive step and I hope that political parties will succeed in forming a national consensus government within the deadline set by the president that will rescue the country from the current constitutional and political crisis,” Thapa said.
Also top leaders of three major political parties held a crucial meeting at Singhdurbar secretariat yesterday to discuss the fast developing political situation in the country.
The meeting was attended by Maoist chief Prachanda, Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala and CPN-UML chairman Jhalanath Khanal.
Nepal government on November 20 had announced fresh constituent assembly elections in April or May next year.
Nepal plunged into deeper political crisis after the dissolution of constituent assembly on May 27 without the promulgation of the constitution due to the serious differences among the major parties over the issue of federal structure.
