ICG says urgent need for new political roadmap

KATHMANDU, Aug 27: The International Crisis Group has said Nepal´s major political parties must urgently agree on a roadmap to negotiate on federalism and write the new constitution, whether by holding elections to a new Constituent Assembly or reviving the previous body.



Issuing a statement, the international agency said Nepali actors were deeply divided on the role of identity politics in the proposed federal set-up.[break]



"To get the constitution-writing process back on track, mainstream politicians have to manage their parties better, listen to diverse opinions, and clarify their own agendas," the statement quoted Anagha Neelkantan, Crisis Group´s Senior Analyst for South Asia. "Otherwise they risk ceding political space to extremists who might appear more action-oriented or sympathetic to a frustrated polity."

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