Republic Nepal: Countdown begins
By Indra Adhikari
With the day approaching when nation turns into a republic, major
political parties are working on how the transformation should be made
without hassle.
In less than a fortnight Nepal will become a republic and the 240-year-old
monarchy will find its place in the pages of history, but not in the
corridors of power.
Constitutional provisions require the government to set the date of the
first sitting of Constituent Assembly (CA) that has to convene within
three weeks from the day the Election Commission announced the final poll
results. The EC has already fulfilled its historic onus and now it's for
the parties to decide how the initial CA proceedings should go.
In the meantime, disputes have already come to the surface regarding the
nomination of 26 CA members - without which the all-powerful assembly will
not get a complete shape.
The constitution has authorised the cabinet to nominate the 26 members,
but the parties stand divided whether that should be done by the current
Koirala cabinet or by a new one, most likely to led by the Maoists.
Speaker of interim parliament Subash Nemwang is in favour of nominating
these members by the current cabinet and new government to take over its
responsibility after the first sitting of the CA.
On the other hand, Chief Justice Kedar Prasad Giri is of the opinion that
the incumbent cabinet has no right to name 26 CA members while Supreme
Court justice Anup Raj Sharma, who also heads the CA Court, maintains that
there are no constitutional hurdles for the Koirala cabinet to nominate
these members.
Obviously, the first sitting of the CA must have all its members present,
thus forcing the parties to take quick decision before May 28. The meeting
of the six parties held Friday morning mandated PM Koirala to call the CA
meeting on any date between May 25 to 28.
Building consensus will be the main challenge for parties in the days
ahead despite their common commitment to stay together. PM Koirala has
repeatedly urged collaboration, but he faces strong pressure from within
the party, and outside, to step down and allow the Maoists to take a lead
in forming a new government.
The differences and internal disputes in the parties are likely to hamper
the proceedings of the first day of CA. Few leaders, including Madhesi
Janadhikar Forum coordinator Upendra Yadav, and UML's defeated leader K.
P. Oli have said that the first sitting of the CA will end after
completing the formalities and that it will not be able to take major
decisions like abolishing the monarchy.
On the other hand, the CPN-Maoist which has emerged as the largest party
after the polls, has said it has begun the groundwork to table a motion
for announcing Nepal a republic on the first day of CA session.
Editor of Himal South Asia Kanak Dixit says, "There are enormous hurdles
before the first sitting of the Constituent Assembly, but they can all be
resolved according to parliamentary practice through negotiations and
consultations between the political parties, according to their strengths
and persuasive powers."
Taking Nepal to a new era is as difficult as it had been to hold the
election that was deferred twice. Additionally, doubt still persists
whether king Gyanendra will readily vacate the Narayanhiti palace paving
peaceful way to new political order. The recent palace statement dismissed
media repots that the King was preparing to go into exile in India, but
mentioned nothing about his future. Maoist leaders have said the sprawling
palace would be turned into a museum.
For the parties, there is no alternative to forging a broad consensus to
tackle the challenges that lie in the road to republic as well as in the
constitution-making process. GP Koirala's pre-election statement that
Nepal needs political consensus for at least one decade appears all the
more relevant at this juncture. nepalnews.com May 12 08
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