KATHMANDU, Oct 14: Various political leaders have termed the promulgation of the constitution and successful completion of the local level elections as the historic and significant achievements of the second Constituent Assembly (CA).

In their responses to queries about how they evaluate the term of the Legislature-Parliament turned CA, they said with the promulgation of the new constitution through the second CA, people’s decades-long aspirations have come true. The second CA was turned into the Legislature-Parliament on September 20, 2015 with the promulgation of the constitution.

CPN (Maoist Centre) chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ said the peace process had become successful with the promulgation of the constitution through the people’s elected CA.

He took the time to claim that his party had sacrificed and struggled the most to realise the people’s many years long dream of writing the constitution on their own.

Similarly, CPN (UML) senior leader Jhalanath Khanal termed the second CA historic assembly that issued the constitution of federal democratic republic of Nepal in course of institutionalising the achievements of 2006 people’s movement.

He said the Nepali people have got a democratic, inclusive, patriotic, dynamic and socialism-oriented constitution for the first time, which itself was its biggest achievement.

Nepali Congress leader Gagan Kumar Thapa expressed happiness over the second Constituent Assembly formulating the constitution and holding the elections, which he said cleared his doubts whether the second constituent assembly, like the first one, would fail to issue a constitution.

He shared that he got the opportunity to serve as the president of a parliamentary committee and a minister during the term of this Legislature-Parliament, but expressed sadness that the Medical bill could not be passed.

The NC leader however expressed his dismay over the parliament’s shortcomings in keeping records in parliament.

Chairman of the Rastriya Janamorcha, Chitra Bahadur KC, recalling that the first Constituent Assembly failed to issue a constitution, said that the promulgation of the constitution from the second Constituent Assembly was a big achievement.

Stating that the desire of the Nepali people of over 70 years to write their own constitution from their representatives has been fulfilled, he said the Legislature-Parliament has not been able to play a satisfactory role in maintaining good governance.

As per the constitutional provision, the term of the Legislature-Parliament has terminated a day before October 15, the last day on which the political parties are required to submit the closed list of candidates under the proportional representation category of the House of Representatives and State Assembly elections scheduled for November 26 and December 7. RSS

KATHMANDU, Oct 14: The last meeting of the Legislature-Parliament turned Constituent Assembly has concluded.

Representatives of all the political parties, speaking in the meeting on party basis, have stressed on the need of fulfilling the remaining responsibilities by holding the election to the House of Representatives and State Assemblies on the stipulated date in the situation of the promulgation and implementation of the constitution.

The top leaders of the major political parties have also addressed the last meeting of the Legislature-Parliament.

The tenure of the present Legislature-Parliament will terminate automatically on Saturday midnight

As per the Article 296 of the constitution, the House will dissolve automatically a day before the nominations for the elections to the federal parliament. The Election Commission has fixed the date for the nomination for Proportional Representation on Sunday. The country is conducting the elections to the federal and provincial parliaments in November 26 and December 7.

The 601-member second Constituent Assembly constituted on November 19, 2013 transformed itself into Legislature-Parliament after the promulgation of the constitution on September 20, 2015. It was given continuity as the transitional parliament to lay the ground for the next election which would elect a new parliament.

The first meeting of the present parliament was held on January 26, 2014. Since then, it has spent nearly 1,000 hours to hold 394 meetings in 958 days, until Thursday.

Parliament held seven sessions and also recorded a precedent of the longest house session of 381 days last year. The parliament amended the new constitution within a year of its promulgation but the second bill to amend the constitution failed in the House.

The parliament endorsed over two dozen laws which also included the substitution if 180-year-old Civil Code (Muluki Aain).

Photos: Mukunda Kalikote