NSP (A) writes 'note of dissent' on draft of interim constitution

Nepal Sadbhawana Party (Anandi Devi), a partner in the seven-party alliance, has written 'note of dissent' on the draft of the interim constitution, saying that some of the clauses in the draft failed to address the needs and demands of Madhesi people.

The NSP (A) has said 205 election constituencies should be rearranged "on the basis of population and geographical and cultural similarity" and there should be two ballot papers, one for direct voting and the other for proportional election for 204 seats.

The draft finalised by the meeting of the top leaders on Saturday morning says the 205 election constituencies will remain as it is, while the debate over the type of ballot paper will be settled by the Election Commission with the consent of political parties.

The constituent assembly will have a total of 425 members including 16 members nominated by the Prime Minister.

The NSP (A) said the party had also demanded that the interim constitution should state Nepal as a 'democratic republic' after the state system goes through a restructuring process. The party, which has its support base in the Terai plains, also demanded guarantee of land reform.

These issues were ignored while finalising the draft of the interim constitution, according to the party.

Vice-chairman Bharat Bimal Yadav, who led the NSP team in the eight-party negotiations, wrote the 'note of dissent' as the top leaders came close to finalising the draft. Party leaders Hridayesh Tripathi and Rajendra Mahato had also joined the discussion. nepalnews.com mk Dec 16 06

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