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Constitution Council meeting put off due to PM's 'busy schedule'

A meeting of the Constitutional Council (CC) scheduled to be held today has been postponed due to the inability of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to participate in it.

Reports said the prime minister couldn't take part in the meeting because of his busy schedule, probably holding consultation with leaders of various political party leaders to muster up support for the government's plan to sack the Army chief.

The CC meeting was re-scheduled for today at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in Singha Durbar after it ended inconclusively on Monday because some of its members including Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala remained absent.

The Council, which comprises seven members -- Prime Minister, Chief Justice, CA chair, opposition leader and three ministers -- was expected to pick a name out of five Supreme Court justices -- Min Bahadur Rayamajhi, Anup Raj Sharma, Ram Prasad Shrestha, Khil Raj Regmi and Tap Badadur Magar today.

The discussion on the future CJ was, according to CA Chair Subash Chandra Nemwang, positive during Monday's meeting, with most of the members agreeing to appoint Min Bahadur Rayamajhi as the new CJ based on his seniority.

Although the date for the next meeting hasn't been fixed yet, some of its members said that it will be held soon.

However, political observers say that the government is in no mood to appoint the new CJ until the current row over Army chief's clarification subsides. nepalnews.com Apr 28 09