Dispute on hearings committee delays EC chief appointment

KATHMANDU, Feb 8: As major political parties dispute over the structure of the parliamentary hearings special committee to be formed in accordance with the new constitution, the appointment of Ayodhi Prasad Yadav as chief election commissioner has been delayed for months. The Constitutional Council recommended him for the post two months ago.

The Constitutional Council (CC) recommended Yadav for chief election commissioner (CEC) on December 6, 2015 and the office of the council of ministers registered the recommendation letter from the CC at the parliament secretariat on December 7, said an official knowledgeable about the developments.


General Secretary of the parliament secretariat Manohar Bhattarai confirmed that the secretariat has put the letter on hold as a new hearings committees is yet to be formed in line with the new constitution.

"As the drafting process for parliamentary regulations is underway, we decided to put the letter on hold till the formation of a new hearings committee," Bhattarai told Republica.

But parliament has not dissolved the existing hearings committee, which was formed under the Interim Constitution. NC senior leader Kul Bahadur Gurung heads the committee.

"I am still enjoying all the perks of office as chairman of the committee but have not received any business for the last few months," Gurung told Republica. Secretary of the hearings committee Dhruba Ghimire informed that the committee is yet to receive the recommendation letter from the CC for Yadav's appointment.

Asked about the matter, Radheshyam Adhikari, coordinator of the new parliamentary regulations drafting committee, argued that delay in drafting the parliamentary regulations was not the only reason behind the delay in hearings on Yadav's appointment.

"There is no point in delaying his [Yadav's] hearings because a hearings committee that can do business is already in place," Adhikari argued. "If the existing committee can't take any decision, there is another provision that states that the proposed name will be automatically endorsed 35 days after the recommendations."

The new constitution has envisaged a 15-member parliamentary hearings committee comprising members from both the House of Representatives and the National Assembly. Article 296 under the transitional provisions has transformed the Constituent Assembly into a parliament and assigned it the responsibililty for conducting all activities as per the prerogatives of the Federal Legislature until fresh elections are held.

The existing parliamentary hearings committee comprises 73 members but the newly-promulgated constitution envisages a 15-member hearings committee.

Major political parties are divided over the committee, with the Nepali Congress, the largest party in parliament, stressing continuation with the existing 73-member committee.

Related story

Will Major General Pandey step down amid age dispute?