As practised earlier, the Constituent Assembly chairman could suspend some rules of procedure to be followed while discussing the draft in the CA.

“I am prepared to take all the necessary measures to ensure that the new constitution is issued on time,” said CA Chairman Subas Nembang. Following his instruction, secretariat officials have expedited the groundwork to fast-track the process.

It takes three months to complete constitution-drafting by following all the rules. However, parties have just about seven weeks to meet the self-imposed January 22 deadline for statute promulgation.

The move follows indications from top party leaders that there could be a win-win formula to resolve the disputes over the contents and the process of constitution-writing.

In a package deal, parties could agree on the contentious constitutional issues and a power-sharing arrangement for the new political situation that arises after statute promulgation. On the federal model, parties could settle for around seven provinces.

On the forms of government, parties are likely to adopt improved parliamentary system, sharing power between the President and the prime minister. Parties are likely to adopt a mixed electoral system.

PDCC may get another

consensus chance

The disputed issues are once again likely to be sent back to the Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee after theoretical deliberations in the Assembly.

Sources said there has been an agreement among the top leaders to send the disputes back to the PDCC, despite opposition from some second-rung leaders of the ruling parties.

PDCC Chairman Baburam Bhattarai failed to submit the committee’s report to Nembang on Thursday as senior leaders were busy in party-related tasks. Bhattarai, however, did hold consultations with Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, senior CPN-UML leaders and Nembang in order to give final touches to the report.

He said the parties will arrive at consensus on submitting the report by Friday evening. The report submission will pave the way for a CA meeting. With Parliament in recess, the meeting will be called through a public notice.   

Ruling party leaders have said this will be the last chance at consensus-building that has hitherto remained elusive. Parties are pulling out all the stops to settle the contentious issues.

Ahead of the 18th Saarc Summit held in Kathmandu last month, the ruling Nepali Congress and the UML had issued a joint proposal, recommending that the disputes should be put to vote.

The opposition alliance, led by UCPN (Maoist), had insisted on resolving the contention in consensus.