Valley
Parties given 7 days to form consensus govt
A day after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli tendered his resignation, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Monday called on the political parties represented in Parliament to elect a new prime minister within seven days on the basis of political understandingA day after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli tendered his resignation, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Monday called on the political parties represented in Parliament to elect a new prime minister within seven days on the basis of political understanding.
“The President has ordered to remove difficulties as per Article 305 of the Constitution of Nepal and asked the political parties represented in Parliament to elect a new prime minister based on political understanding as per Article 298 (2) of the same constitution within seven days,” reads a press statement issued by the Office of the President on Monday.
However, chances of a new government based on “political understanding”, which squarely means a national consensus government, are slim. Hence, efforts to form a majority government, as per Article 298 (3), will start after the seven-day deadline of the President ends.
Article 298 (3) of the constitution states: In the event of failure to have an understanding under Article 298 (2), the prime minister shall be elected by a majority of all the then members of Parliament.
“It is not possible to form a government based on consensus,” said Nepali Congress leader Bimalendra Nidhi.
As of now, it is most likely that CPN (Maoist Centre) will stake claim to the new government under its Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal with the backing of the NC and the agitating Madhes-based parties.
According to the existing provisions, Parliament will set a three-day deadline to elect the new prime minister.
PM Oli on Sunday announced his resignation while addressing Parliament, minutes before the scheduled voting on a no-confidence motion registered by the NC and the Maoist Centre.
Make efforts to implement statute: Prez
President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Monday urged CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, who resigned as prime minister on Sunday, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal to make concerted efforts to implement the constitution.
The top leaders of the three major parties had called on President Bhandari to discuss recent political development. Holding three elections in the next 18 months will be a challenging task and these polls are a key to implementing the constitution, President Bhandari told the three leaders, according to sources.
Advising the leaders to make maximum efforts to implement the constitution, the President also asked them to narrow down differences among parties. It would be easy to address the remaining issues if relations between the major parties remain cordial, the President is learnt to have told the leaders.
In response, Dahal and Deuba informed the President that the major parties would move ahead with the spirit of consensus.
Similarly, PM Oli on his part told the Head of State that his party, the CPN-UML, will always cooperate in addressing the key issues of the country.