KATHMANDU, June 9: Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJPN) leader Laxman Lal Karna has clarified that his party will not accept the system of directly elected executive presidential system in the country.

The ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, a few days ago, had said that his party is intending to introduce the system of directly elected executive president in the country by amending constitution.

“RJPN is on the side of parliamentary system in the country. The NCP is opting to change the constitution of Nepal in power of the two-third majority they command in the House. But it can be their mistake,” said leader Karna at an interaction program organized by the Reporters’ Club Nepal on Wednesday.

“Prachanda, by opining for the system, cannot take the country to executive presidential system. The system will bring dictatorship in the country. RJPN will not accept such system at any cost,” he clarified.

Leader Karna also said that he could be one of the candidates for the position of parliamentary party leader.

“The party will hold a meeting on June 18, which will endorse the parliamentary party statute. After that the elections will be held,” he said.

When asked if he would claim the position, he said: “I have the right to claim the post. RJPN has 17 lawmakers in the House. Each of them as the right to claim for the position of parliamentary party leader.”

RJPN is yet to elect its parliamentary party leader.

‘RESHAM CHAUDHARY NOT GUILTY YET’

Leader Karna also claimed that the new provision under the House of Representatives Regulations has brought for his party lawmaker Resham Lal Chaudhary.

“In a common law system, a person is not declared criminal upon his arrest. He remains a suspect unless he is proved guilty by the law. Therefore we said that a lawmaker cannot be suspended unless he is proved guilty by the court.”

The Parliament on Friday passed the House of Representatives Regulations 2075- that provisions barring a lawmaker from parliamentary privilege, perks and facilities instead of suspending his from his position upon being arrested for a criminal offence or any other offence accountable to incur a jail term of three years or more.

“The Regulations has been approved in consensus in the House,” he added.

‘EITHER SPEAKER OR DEPUTY SPEAKER MUST RESIGN IMMEDIATELY’

Two people representing the same party cannot hold the post of Speaker and Deputy Speaker in the House of Representatives.

The Speaker of the House, Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Deputy Speaker Shiva Maya Tumbahamphe both are from NCP. Earlier, before the unification of the two communist parties, Mahara represented Maoist Center and Tumbahanphe represented UML.

Article 91 of the constitution of Nepal states that the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives shall be from different parties.

“It is against the constitution. Either the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker must immediately resign,” he added.

Kathmandu:  Newly appointed General Secretary of Arjun South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Bahadur Thapa has said that Nepal is ready to host the upcoming 18th SAARC summit.

Talking at an interaction program organized by the Reporters Club Nepal on Monday, after taking over the responsibility of SAARC’s new GS, Thapa said, “Nepal has successful experience of hosting the 11^th SAARC summit here in Kathmandu.  It has sufficient expertise, physical infrastructure and human resources to host the summit.”

G S Thapa while stating the date for the event is yet to fixed, he informed that a date for the summit slated to be held in November will be announced soon after discussions.

However, Thapa said that the “Nepal government will have to make the preparations at a maximum pace to meet the November deadline, if agreed.”

While alluding many details for the summit to be finalized yet, Thapa said that organization has been working closely with the government authorities to implement them.

Elaborating on the focus of the upcoming summit, Thapa said that it will focus on raising livelihood of the people and added that it will focus on alleviating poverty levels within the member nations in the upcoming summit.

KATHMANDU: Chairman of the Interim Election Council Khilaraj Regmi has said that the incumbent government is committed to hold impartial, fair and independent CA elections.

Regmi pledged that he will not compromise with the fairness and neutrality of the elections with anyone while speaking to a delegation of journalists led the Reporters Club Nepal’s President Rishi Dhamala on Thursday at his office in Kathmandu.

” We are eager to announce the date for CA polls. There is not alternative other than it to ensure the future of Nepalese people, political parties and Nepal,” Regmi said on the occasion.
Regmi said that CA elections is the only means to end political transition in Nepal and added that he was in continous consultations with political parties to hold elections at the earliest.

Appreciating Reporters Club Nepal’s initiative to pile pressure on political parties to hold CA elections at the earliest, Regmi said that the government is presently discussing legal provisions with political parties and would announce a date for CA elections as soon as political parties agree on the CA elections laws.

Speaking on the occasion, Dhamala said that the Club will continue its efforts to preserve democracy and human rights in the country and keep the leaders reminding of their primary responsibility to draft the new constitution.

KATHMANDU: UCPN-Maoist leader Agni Prasad Sapkota has said that his party is ready to negotiate differences with Nepali Congress and CPN UML on provisioning threshold system and to downsize the number of seats in the new Constituent Assembly.

Speaking at an interaction program organized by the Reporters Club Nepal on Thursday sapkota said that adopting flexibility on the issues is necessary to ensure CA elections.

However Sapkota denied to negotiate on removing the presidential decree on removing constitutional hurdles agreed between the political parties earlier.

Referring to the opposition’s claim that the Maoists backtracked from the earlier consensus, leader Sapkota made it clear that his party is firm about the 11-point pact reached among the parties to form Chief Justice-led government and 25-point presidential decree.

However, he charged the CPN-Maoist of being anti-peace and constitution citing that it has been demanding the partisan-government to obstruct the possible outlets.

Sapkota, also the former minister, blamed the NC and UML for engaging in groupism urging them to negotiate staying within the High Level Political Committee—the cross-party mechanism.

However, speaking at the same function, CPN-Maoist secretary Dev Gurung ruled out the purported polls and his party’s partaking in the same unless the 25-point presidential order is repealed.

He said that they are not staging protest to induct themselves into the HLPC and cabinet and he urged to quash the presidential order and form a multiparty political roundtable so that the polls are held.

Those who wish for the polls in the status quo are the foreign agents, Gurung said insisting that the poll does not deserve any meaning unless the four-party syndicate is cracked.

Gurung opted for the 100-member CA citing that the erstwhile CA has already accomplished 80 per cent of the work.
UCPN-Maoist Spokesperson Agni Sapkota speaking at an interaction organised in the Reporters’ Club in Kathmandu, on Thursday, May 23, 2013.

Dilli Basel was elected senior vice-chairperson while Baikuntha Dhungana as the vice-chairperson of the Club by a 108 general convention representatives from 54 different districts across the country.

The general convention elected Maha Prasad Lamichhane as General Secretary, Shashi Koirala as secretary, Deependra Raj Poudel in the post of joint secretary and Mukunda Kalikote as the treasurer.

Similarly, Chiranjibi Dhungana, Krishna Adhikari, Anil Giri, Bhuwan Sharma, Leelaraj Khanal, Deepak Kafle, Santa Gahamagar, Choleswor Tiwari, Suresh Yadav, Sanju KC, Bijaya Regmi, Ramkumar Chhetri, Purswottam Mangiya, Madan Koirala, Hari Sharan Timilsina, Ranjit Dhamala, Chetraj Bhandari, Ganesh Thapa, Uma Dhakal and Raj Gurung are the members of the working committee.

Likewise, the general convention elected Bhanu Bhakta Niraula as the eastern regional coordinator, Bhuwan KC for the central region, Prakash Khanal for the western region and Sharad Regmi for the mid-western. Kanhaiya Gupta has been nominated as the coordinator for the Madhes region.

In a bid to make inclusion to the Club, five central committee members would be appointed from all five development regions each. The Club on Saturday observed its 15^th anniversary in the capital amid a grand function by felicitating