Maoist U-turn on prez provision - PHANINDRA DAHAL

“The big U-turn in Maoist policy in a one-and-half-month period shows they still don’t have a stable opinion on the form of government to be adopted in future,” said constitutional expert Bipin Adhikari. He also said “such shifts in party position” would create complexity in negotiations for reaching consensus on the new constitution.

http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=207883

KATHMANDU, Aug 4 - The UCPN (Maoist), which had earlier proposed the provision of presidential election from Parliament, presented a proposal advocating direct election of an executive president by the people at the Constituent Assembly Committee to Determine the Forms of the Governance System on Tuesday.

This is a reversal of the stance stated in their Constituent Assembly election manifesto. The fresh proposal presented at the committee’s meeting on Tuesday maintains that the president can be relieved of the position if the party s/he represents recalls him/her through the House.

Earlier, in their written proposal submitted to the committee on June 23, the Maoists had proposed election of the executive president through a simple majority of the central legislature. The 25-point proposal was submitted to the committee after days of debate at the party’s politburo meeting.

Maoist lawmaker Giriraj Mani Pokharel told the Post that the decision to go for direct presidential elections was taken because the party’s Central Committee (CC) meeting nullified the politburo’s decision. At the central committee, leaders expressed dissatisfaction with the party leadership for going for the Westminster model for presidential elections. Pokharel said the party’s position was final for now, but may change when there is high-level understanding among political parties during the constitution drafting process.

At Tuesday’s meeting, lawmakers from Nepali Congress and UML called the Maoist reversal of stance “an unstable opinion.” UML lawmaker Krishna Prasad Sapkota said reversal in the Maoist position would create complexities in decision making.

“The big U-turn in Maoist policy in a one-and-half-month period shows they still don’t have a stable opinion on the form of government to be adopted in future,” said constitutional expert Bipin Adhikari. He also said “such shifts in party position” would create complexity in negotiations for reaching consensus on the new constitution.

The Maoists have proposed that there will be no provision of prime minister and opposition party in the upcoming statute. The party’s election manifesto had earlier come up with the provision of prime minister to “assist” the president. NC and UML, however, continue to stick to their positions that there should be “a ceremonial president and an executive prime minister” for the stability of the government in future.

Posted on: 2009-08-04 22:27:11 (Server Time)