Top five parties meet fails to resolve National Assembly Election Ordinance row

KATHMANDU, Dec 22: The meeting of five major political parties has ended inconclusively failing to reach understanding on the issue of National Assembly Election ordinance.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had called the meeting of the five parties– which will have representation in the House of Representatives as national parties–at his official residence in Baluwatar meeting today morning in a bid to resolve the row over the ordinance on the election to National Assembly.

During the meeting Prime Minister Deuba had suggested that the ordinance should be passed immediately. But the largest party CPN-UML Chair KP Oli had expressed reservation saying that it was not acceptable to the party (UML), said Nepali Congress leader Bimalendra Nidhi. Oli also urged Deuba to clear path for the formation of a new government, according to Nidhi.

Rastriya Janata Party Nepal presidium member Manahta Thakur and Federal Socialist Forum Nepal’s Chairman Upendra Yadav had agreed on the ordinance sent by the government.

Meanwhile, CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal stating that the parties should take the middle-path approach to resolve the current stalemate had suggested continuing discussions.

Deuba on Thursday had consulted with the top leaders of the party about the possible ways to end the current political impasse, and had concluded the deadlock to be constitutional, not political.

The government led by Nepali Congress has insisted that it would hand over the power to the left alliance only after the National Assembly Election Ordinance is passed. On the contrary, UML has accused NC of provisioning single transferable voting system for National Assembly formation by bypassing the parliamentary committee’s decision of multiple transferable votes—which UML has termed unconstitutional.

The ordinance is currently pending at the Office of President.

The dispute over the National Assembly Election Ordinance forwarded by the government to President has pinned deadlock halting the process of formation of a new government.

Prime Minister Deuba, UML Chair Oli, Maoist Center Chair Dahal, Presidium Coordinator of RJPN, Thakur, and Chairman of the FSFN, Yadav, among other leaders were present at the meeting.