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FORMS OF GOVERNANCE : 16 parties tighten noose on Maoists

KATHMANDU, JAN 10 -
As the deadlock over the peace and constitution making processes persists, opposition parties are looking into ways to find common ground on the forms of governance.

Sixteen opposition parties led by the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML on Tuesday started discussions against the backdrop of the NC’s reservations over the mixed model recommended by a panel led by Laxman Lal Karna.

The fringe parties have suggested the NC and UML leaders come up with a common model to counter the Maoist demand for a directly elected executive president.

“All the parties agreed that we need to have a common opinion on the system of governance,” UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal told reporters after a meeting. “The governance model should be suitable for the country and should neither encourage autocracy nor create instability.”

During the discussions, NC leaders said a constitutional president elected through an electoral college and an executive prime minister elected in the parliament would be suitable for Nepal.

The new development comes amid the Maoist decision to block the peace process, citing NC’s backtracking from the agreement on the forms of governance.

In November, a taskforce formed by the Dispute Resolution Subcommittee had suggested that the new constitution

incorporate the provision of sharing of executive powers between a directly elected president and a prime minister elected in the Parliament.

The mixed model recommended by the taskforce will not be tabled in the CA for voting without prior consensus among the parties. The parties should vote on four models that are yet to be resolved by the Constitutional Committee.

The models include 1) a directly elected executive president proposed by the Maoists, 2) a constitutional president and a prime minister elected from the parliament and proposed by the NC 3) an executive president elected from the parliament and proposed by the Madhesi parties and 4) a ceremonial president and a directly elected executive PM and supported by the UML and two dozen NC lawmakers led by Pradip Giri.

In recent discussions, the parties in the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha have indicated that they would support NC’s proposal on a parliamentary system.

The provision of a directly elected executive PM is likely to secure majority votes in case major parties fail to find a common point. The Maoists and the UML favour a directly elected executive and hence could find a meeting point on the provision, according to sources.

There is, however, a possibility that the UML might give up its position on a directly elected PM and opt for a parliamentary system. UML leaders Madhav Kumar Nepal and KP Oli are learnt to have started lobbying for the same.

“The proposal for a directly elected prime minister was as per our calculation that the UML is the most popular party of the country,” said a UML leader. “The situation has drastically changed after the elections in 2008. We could revise our position,” the leader added.

The PM appointed by the president would serve as the head of the government while the president and the prime minister would jointly handle issues like defence and foreign policy, according to the taskforce report. The recommendation was supposed to be a basis of a meeting point between the NC and the Maoists.

“The report of the taskforce is based on the proposal for a directly elected executive given to us by the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and the Madhes-based parties one year ago,” said Maoist lawmaker Khim Lal Devkota. “It is very unfortunate that they backpedaled from their own proposal after we accepted it.”

The major parties missed last week’s deadline to resolve contentious issues of constitution making after there was no agreement on the forms of governance. The Constituent Assembly (CA) should go for a majority vote to determine the issue if the row is not settled within the January 29 deadline.

Posted on: 2012-01-11 08:07

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