President calls parties to form majority govt

KATHMANDU, FEB 04 - After efforts to install a consensus government by Sunday failed, President Ram Baran Yadav on Monday called on the parties to begin the process of forming a majority government.

The Office of the President issued a statement in the name of the Legislature-Parliament on Monday to begin the process of forming a majority government. Yadav cited Article 38 (2) of Interim Constitution 2063 in support of his announcement.

Attempts to form a consensus government as per Article 38 (1) of the Interim Constitution failed due to a lack of support, with the UCPN (Maoist) and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal, among others, resolving to sit in opposition while maintaining that they will play a responsible and constructive role.

President Yadav, however, has not given any deadline for the formation of a majority government.

On January 26, President Yadav had called on the parties to form a consensus government before February 2, however an agreement regarding government formation proved elusive despite multiple rounds of talks.“As the request made by the President to install a government according to Article 38 (1) failed, the President has sent a message to the Legislature-Parliament to inform the Constituent Assembly (CA),” said the statement issued by the President Office.

Nepali Congress (NC) President Sushil Koirala had telephoned President Yadav on Sunday, urging him to undertake the required formalities to allow the formation of a majority government. Minendra Rijal, a Congress CWC member,  has claimed that an NC-led majority government will be formed by February 11.

Speaking at an interaction programmed in the Capital on Monday, Rijal said the next session of the Legislature-Parliament, to be held on February 5, will chart the plans for the election of a PM, adding that the new government will be formed within three to four days.

He also affirmed that the NC will cooperate with the UML to promulgate a new statute.

PM poll date likely tomorrow

Acting on a President’s letter asking to form a majority government, the Parliament Secretariat is likely to announce the date of prime minister’s election at a Parliament session on Wednesday.

A Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting on Tuesday will hold consultations with the parties represented in the CA about the date of prime minister’s election. BAC is an all-party body that discusses and sets the business both for the Parliament and CA. The Secretariat is believed to have recommended February 9 date for the PM election.

General Secretary at the Parliament Secretariat Manohar Prasad Bhattarai will unveil the detail itinerary of the PM election.

“We will fix the date for the prime ministerial election on Wednesday during the Parliamentary session which will initiate the election process,” said Mukunda Sharma, spokesperson at the Secretariat.

Unless the parties demand more time, the election process will begin within a week. The festering dispute in the CPN-UML over selection of its Parliamentary Party leader is likely to delay the process of PM election.

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