CPN-UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal has become the first among the top leaders to clearly rule out the possibility of promulgating the new constitution by the May 28 deadline.[break]
"It is not possible to produce the constitution if we follow the procedures of the CA, in view of differences among the political parties over various crucial provisions to be enshrined in the new statute. Therefore, we shouldn´t be telling a lie to the people," Khanal said at an interaction with a group of writers at his residence Thursday morning.
A few hours after Khanal spoke his mind, some UML lawmakers said there is no possibility of the constitution seeing the light of the day by its deadline. At the UML parliamentary party meeting that resumed Thursday morning, several lawmakers urged the party leadership to come up with concrete proposals for managing the crisis that may develop due to the parties´ failure to promulgate the statute on time.
One member said the issue figured prominently at the meeting as the party´s chairman himself spoke clearly about it only hours before the meeting started.
"Many of the members who spoke today [Thursday] opined that the UML should come up with concrete proposals with valid reasoning on how to manage the crisis that may erupt post-May 28," UML Spokesperson Pradip Gyawali told Republica.
Whereas the CA is just 42 days from the deadline, the CA is yet to complete several procedural stages as per its regulations. It is yet to forward eight of the 11 preliminary thematic drafts to the Constitutional Committee (CC). The CC, which is entrusted with preparing an integrated draft incorporating all the 11 preliminary drafts, has said it needs at least a month to prepare the draft after it receives all the documents.
Under the regulations, after preparing the draft the CA needs to receive feedback on it from the people, pass all the provisions by at least two-thirds majority and also complete several other procedures.
CA Chairman Subas Nembang said he has already made the situation clear to top leaders many times in recent days.
"Either the parties need to be ready to produce the statute without going through the procedures or they have to sit together and come up with alternatives through consensus," he told Republica.
Nembang said as both the writing and amendment of the statute are a political matter, the party leaders are the ones who can come up with a solution.
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