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Zurich meeting: Parties had okayed a mixed model with directly elected prez

KATHMANDU, JAN 11 -
It has been revealed that the leaders of major political parties had agreed to accept the mixed model with the provision of a directly elected president and a prime minister elected from the parliament as a meeting point between them on the forms of governance.

The understanding reached by second-rank leaders of major parties in Switzerland last year comes in the wake of fresh disputes among parties on the forms of governance. Both peace and constitution-making processes are stalled after the Nepali Congress expressed reservation over the provision of a directly elected president suggested by the taskforce under the Constitutional Committee.

Nepali Congress leader Arjun Narshing KC, who participated in the meeting held in Zurich last February, admitted that there had been an understanding to adopt a mixed model in the new constitution. "We had agreed that we can go for a mixed model with universally accepted norms of democracy after the management of arms and armies of the Maoists," he said. "But that was only an advisory consultation so its recommendation is not mandatory now."

UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice-chairman Baburam Bhattarai were originally scheduled to attend the Zurich meeting from February 11 to 17 organised by Nepal Transition to Peace. Because the senior leaders remained busy, Khim Lal Devkota and Lila Mani Pokharel represented the former rebel party and were facilitated to hold talks with their rivals by former Speaker Daman Nath Dhungana and communist leader Padma Ratna Tuladhar.

Prakash Man Singh, KC and Bimalendra Nidhi represented the NC; Ishwor Pokharel, Pradip Gyawali and Bhim Rawal represented the CPN-UML; Hridayesh Tripathi represented the Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party during the weeklong discussion. They drafted a common proposal on peace process and constitution making and briefed their top leaders and Chairman of the Constituent Assembly (CA) Subas Nembang on it after returning from the visit.

All the participants had reaffirmed their commitment to enshrine  globally accepted norms of democracy in the new constitution and suggested that a mixed model can be a compromising proposal, according to the document outlining the decision of the Zurich meeting obtained by the Post. Leaders  had agreed that rights and duties of a directly elected president and prime minister elected by the parliament should be clearly written in the constitution to avert the possible conflict between the two in future.

They also expressed readiness to ensure competitive multiparty politics, ensure individual freedom, fundamental rights, human rights, adult franchise, full-fledged press freedom, independent judiciary, rule of law, periodic elections, freedom of expression, pluralism and address social and cultural diversity in the constitution. Talking to the Post on Wednesday, UML leader Pradip Gyawali said that parties had prepared a common proposal with the consent of top leaders in Zurich.

"We had reached an understanding by taking consent from top leaders of our respective parties. But it could not be implemented after the Maoists backtracked from implementing the peace deal," he said. The recommendation made by the Laxman Lal Karna-led taskforce for sharing of the powers between a directly elected executive president and a prime minister elected from the House is the elaboration of the "understanding reached in Zurich," claimed a source at the CA.

Maoist lawmaker  Devkota had told the Post on Monday that non-Maoist parties had proposed the provision of a directly elected president and a prime minister elected from the House a year ago. He claimed that the NC had backtracked from the deal.

Posted on: 2012-01-12 09:04

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