Nepal begins vote for new constitution

Kathmandu, Sep 13:

Nepal on Sunday entered the final stage of promulgating a new constitution as the clause-wise discussion on the Revised Bill of the proposed constitution ended at the Constituent Assembly with top leaders of the three major political parties participating.

The top leaders of the three parties taking part in the discussion were Prime Minister — and Nepali Congress president — Sushil Koirala, CPN-UML chairman K.P. Sharma Oli and UCPN-Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

The process commenced on Sunday evening after Nepal’s major political parties waited for two days for the agitating minor political groups to join the constitution-drafting process.

But repeated talks between the agitating Madhesis and the Tharu community from Nepal’s Terai plains failed prompting the major parties to move ahead with the long delayed process.

Political leaders said it may take the entire night for the voting to endorse the new constitution. If the constitution is approved by the CA, Nepal President Ram Baran Yadav will authenticate the new constitution in a special ceremony.

Political parties based in the Himalayan nation’s Terai region have been agitating since several months against a seven-province model suggested in a federal constitution and seeking a recall of the Nepal Army from the riot-hit areas.

As of Sunday, 40 people have been killed since last one month in protests against the suggested seven-province model.

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala has said that the major political parties are in their final efforts to promulgate a new constitution with federalism, republic, democracy and inclusion as the guiding principles.

Taking part in the clause-wise deliberations on the amended Bill of the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 at the Constituent Assembly on Sunday, Koirala said: “We will succeed in promulgating the new constitution as we have earlier succeeded in resolving problems including through the comprehensive peace accord in the past.”

Nepal held two Constituent Assembly elections in 2008 and 2013. The first assembly was dissolved without achieving any progress in its assigned task. (IANS)