Acharya, Shrestha in race for CC chairman

(Updated)

KATHMANDU, Aug 27: Political parties represented in the Constituent Assembly (CA) have finally decided to go for a vote to pick the chairman of the Constitutional Committee after they failed to agree on a consensus candidate despite months-long negotiations.



While the ruling coalition parties have fielded Nepali Congress (NC)-nominated CA member Nilamber Acharya, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) named its deputy parliamentary party leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha, dropping the previously announced choice of Dr Babu Ram Bhattarai at the eleventh hour. The CC chair election will be held Friday morning as per the schedule announced earlier.[break]



The Maoist decision to name Shrestha came after a meeting of top leaders of the NC, UML and Maoist parties at the residence of NC President Girija Prasad Koirala Thursday afternoon failed to agree on a consensus candidate for the post. Dr Bhattarai had earlier announced that he would take up the post of CC chair only if the parties reached a consensus over his name.



The meeting attended by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and NC President Koirala, among other senior party leaders, failed to make headway after the Maoists rejected the proposal of the NC and UML to name an independent candidate with the necessary expertise to head the CC, according to the prime minister´s political advisor Raghuji Panta.



Later in the afternoon, the prime minister called a meeting of all 22 parties supporting the government at his office at Singh Durbar to name a candidate for CC chair after the tripartite meeting failed to make any headway.



Leaders of the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist), Rastriya Janashakti Party and Tarai Madhes Democratic Party had expressed discontent over the big parities insisting on their stake for the post of CC chair. However, they agreed to support to the candidacy of Acharya, according to RJP Co-Chairman Prakash Chandra Lohani.



Meanwhile, Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal and Rastriya Janamukti Party boycotted the 22-party meeting. Issuing a press statement, RPP-N said the party has decided to abstain from the voting as the election would not help develop a consensus among the parties or help draft a new constitution on time. Likewise, the Nepa Rastriya Party and Sanghiya Loktantrik Rastriya Party have announced that they would not support Acharya´s candidacy.



A candidate needs to secure the support of a minimum of 32 out of the total CC membership of 63. As none of the major parties including the Maoists have enough votes, the support of fringe parties will play a decisive role in electing the CC chair on Friday.



The Maoists had also held a meeting at their parliamentary party office at Singh Durbar Thursday morning to woo the fringe parties. Maoist deputy parliamentary leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha claimed that Nepali Janata Dal, CPN (Unified), CPN (United) and Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (MPRF) have expressed their commitment to support their candidate.



The CC chair has remained vacant since then head of the committee Madhav Kumar Nepal got elected prime minister on May 23. The absence of a CC head has greatly affected the constitution drafting process.



Those openly supporting Maoist candidate Shrestha

Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) 18

Nepali Janata Dal 1

Madhesi People´s Rights Forum 1

Communist Party of Nepal (Unified) 1

Sanghiya Loktantrik Manch 1

Nepa Rastriya Party 1



Those backing Acharya

NC 9

CPN-UML 9

Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (Democratic) 3

Tarai Madhes Democratic Party 2

Other fringe parties supporting the government 17 (total seats)

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