The party leaders have agreed to make necessary amendments to the CA regulations through the CA, which is scheduled to start from Tuesday. They plan to amend the provision that allows the forwarding of a preliminary draft to the CC only after settling all disputes over the draft. [break]
With the amendment of the regulations, some of the eight remaining thematic drafts might get forwarded to the CC.
The party leaders agreed to forward the drafts to the CC and settle differing views at the committee itself instead of withholding the drafts for longer periods of time.
Some of them believe the CC is a better place to settle differences as top leaders of almost all the parties are members of the committee.
This will be the third amendment to the regulations. Earlier also, the CA had amended the same provision. Originally, the provision had envisioned forwarding all 11 thematic reports to the drafting committee at the same time. But later they decided to forward the thematic drafts to the CC one by one as they become ready, and amended the provisions accordingly.
The CA had earlier sent three thematic drafts to the CC. At present, 83 disputes remain over the contents of the other seven drafts. The party leaders have so far not entered into the disputes at the CA committee on state restructuring.
They have also agreed to work at the 28-party mechanism and to hold informal discussions among the top leaders simultaneously. "Now on, all three channels -- the CC, the 28-party mechanism and informal discussions among top leaders -- will be given continuity," said a source at the parliament secretariat.
According to the source, while the CC will be working to prepare a single draft incorporating the thematic reports and the provisions resolved so far, the all-party mechanism will discuss the remaining 83 disputes.
"At the same time, the speaker will convene informal meetings with top leaders of major political parties to resolve key issues like determining the political system -- presidential or prime ministerial model, and the electoral system," the source said.
Earlier, the high-level taskforce formed to settle the disputes had resolved 127 out of a total of 210 disputes in constitution writing and the all-party mechanism had endorsed this.
The party leaders have also agreed to update the calendar of events for the twelfth time. As per the eleventh amendment of the calendar, the CA was scheduled to forward all 11 thematic drafts to the CC, which is entrusted with preparing an integrated draft of the constitution, by mid-October, and the CC was given one month to prepare the single draft incorporating all the thematic drafts. The speaker will take a formal decision in this regard at a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) before the CA meeting.
The CA has so far not only failed to meet the deadline but also not updated the calendar of events.
According to officials at the CA secretariat, the parties have reached an informal understanding on amending the CA regulations.
The CA held its last meeting on July 18, to effect the eleventh amendment to its calendar of events.
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