National
‘No wait for upper house to form govt’
CPN-UML leaders have urged the Election Commission to announce the results of Proportional Representation category of the House of Representatives election immediately, claiming that there was no need for the National Assembly to form a new government.CPN-UML leaders have urged the Election Commission to announce the results of Proportional Representation category of the House of Representatives election immediately, claiming that there was no need for the National Assembly to form a new government.
Citing Article 76 (8) of the constitution, which says the House is authorised to form the government, leaders of the party that won the largest number of seats in the recently concluded elections have asked Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to resign.
The poll authority maintains that the results of lower house election will be declared only after electing the upper house, in order to fulfil the constitutional requirement of 33 percent representation of women in the federal parliament. “UML leaders did not understand the legal provisions,” Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhee Prasad Yadav said at an interaction on Sunday.
UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and other leaders of the party have argued that the upper house is required to ensure more than 37 percent representation of women on its own, meaning that the lower house could be formed irrespective of the National Assembly (NA). The UML alleges that the EC’s claim that the NA was essential to publish the results of lower house election is a ploy to prolong the tenure of the incumbent government.
Former Speaker and UML Vice-chair Subas Nembang has ruled out the need for NA to form the government.
“There is no alternative for the Election Commission to presenting the results of all the 275 seats of House to the President,” UML Deputy General Secretary Bishnu Poudel said.
Agni Sapkota, a leader of the CPN (Maoist Centre), another constituent of the left alliance, has also asked “caretaker” PM Deuba to allow for formation of a new government by stepping down.
“A major hurdle to government formation has been resolved but another is being created,” Sapkota said, referring to the authentication of the ordinance on National Assembly election and the procedural delays in installing a new government, respectively. The UML Standing Committee had decided on Thursday to press the poll body to announce the election results at the earliest.