Parties set conditions for joining government

KATHMANDU, DEC 08 - A group of 18 political parties led by the UCPN (Maoist) on Saturday said they would not join the Constituent Assembly if the government does not set up an independent panel to investigate alleged election irregularities and revive the politics of consensus through constitutional amendment.

The parties ’ move follows claims by the UCPN (Maoist) that the Nepal Army and the government were involved in widespread vote rigging, which both the Army and the government have denied.

A meeting of the disgruntled parties held at the Maoist party office in Perisdanda took the decision to that effect. The alliance also decided to put pressure on the government, the Election Commission (EC) and the major parties , mainly the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML, to fulfil their demands.

The government and the EC, however, have rubbished the allegations saying that the CA election was conducted in a free and fair environment with confirmation from all the election observers.

“We have decided not to join the CA unless there is an investigation into widespread poll-rigging by an independent and credible investigation team,” said Rajendra Shrestha of the Federal Socialist Party Nepal (FSPN).

The parties said the EC and the government need not panic about the call for investigation as it would help “establish the credibility of the November 19 election” instead of questioning its sanctity. “There should be no hesitation to having an investigation into the election irregularities, when we have provided enough evidences to substantiate the move,” said Shrestha.

 Justifying their second demand, the parties said, an amendment to the constitution will ensure timely and inclusive constitution within the stipulated time-frame. There is nothing wrong in calling for a constitutional guarantee of politics of consensus, the parties said.

Citing reluctance of the major political parties , especially the Nepali Congress, the joint meeting also expressed scepticism about the possibility of drafting a new federal constitution ensuring equal recognition of different identities.  

Proposing a Federal Democratic Alliance among the parties that have questioned the integrity of the November polls, the parties are pressing for a federal system that recognises the aspirations of ethnic communities. Leaders said such an alliance would take shape soon after consultations with other parties .

Last year, the UCPN (Maoist) formed the Federal Democratic Republican Alliance comprising pro-federalism forces, which, however, did not remain until the recent election. The UCPN (Maoist) is likely to lead the alliance which will remain till the promulgation of a new constitution.

The meeting also proposed that parties should take the ownership of the progress made by the first Constituent Assembly ( CA ), which has settled 90 percent of constitution drafting tasks except for the issue of federalism and forms of governance. In their election manifestos, parties have expressed commitment that they would take the ownership of the progress made by the new CA .

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