Urge to bring dissidents on board

KATHMANDU, JUN 16 -
Election experts have suggested that the government and the major political parties make every effort to bring poll-opposing parties on board for the Constituent Assembly election s scheduled to take place in November.

The suggestion comes at a time when some political forces, including the Mohan Baidya-led CPN-Maoist, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Nepal (MJF-N) and the Federal Socialist Party Nepal (FSPN) have announced protests against the election plan expressing reservations over some electoral provisions.

The agitating parties have sought their share in the decision-making process, increasing the CA seats and the ratio for proportional representation and resignation of Interim Election Government head Khil Raj Regmi as Chief Justice.

“If election is the sole priority of the government, all the barriers should be cleared and the agitating forces should be taken into confidence promptly,” former Chief Election Commissioner Bhoj Raj Pokharel told the Post.

Recalling that he was forced to increase the CA seats to 601 against his desire of limit them to 425 to bring all the political parties into the election process, Pokharel said

all the concerned stakeholders, mainly the head of the government, should demonstrate maximum flexibility to persuade the agitating forces to go to the polls. “If Regmi’s resignation is the major barrier to the election s, he has no other choice than resigning as the CJ,” added Pokharel.

Of the 33 opposing parties, two key political forces—MJF-N and FSPN—have put forth their demands for Regmi’s resignation as CJ and increasing the seats and ratio for the proportional electoral system.

Even after the government’s formal announcement to hold the CA election on November 19, the demands floated by the dissident parties have complicated the process and diminished prospects for the polls.

The parties have also demanded their representation in the high-level political committee. “We will go to the polls if the government agrees to hold the election under the previous CA laws,” said FSPN General Secretary Rajendra Shrestha.

The FSPN and the MJF-N have applied to the Election Commission (EC) for registration but the Baidya-led party, which has sought Regmi’s replacement with a politician, has missed the EC’s application deadline. “Since our party is for the election , we will part from them [Baidya] once CA seats and proportion are increased,” added Shrestha.

The UCPN (Maoist) party, which often floated the proposal to hold the election under the previous CA Act, is still positive about increasing the number of CA members and the ratio of the proportional representation seats. “The government and the High-level Political Mechanism should reconsider increasing the share of proportional representation to bring the agitating group to the election ,” Maoist Vice-chairman Baburam Bhattarai tweeted on Saturday. Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML that pressed for enforcing one percent vote threshold for eligibility for proportional representation seats argue that the unwanted number of CA members would complicate the constitution-wring process.

The CA Member Act provisioned 601 members in the Assembly with 60 percent seats filled from the proportional system. This time around, the major parties have agreed to a 491-member CA with 50 percent members elected from the proportional representation system.

Labels: National News