Former prime minister and Naya Shakti Nepal Coordinator Baburam Bhattarai has called for including the provision of directly-elected executive head in the constitution amendment proposal registered in Parliament.

Bhattarai’s call comes at a time when the Madhesi and Janajati forces have been demanding revision to the government proposal. 

During an interaction organised on Tuesday, the former Maoist leader said the opportunity should also be used to amend the form of government.

At the function, leaders from other parties including Jitendra Dev of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik, Rabindra Adhikary of the CPN-UML and Chandra Bhandari of the Nepali Congress stressed the importance of a directly elected executive head for a politically unstable country like Nepal. 

Bhattarai said that the issue could not be incorporated while drafting the constitution even though it had an overwhelming public support due to the changed stance of the UML, which was the second largest party in the second Constituent Assembly. The Nepali Congress has always stood against the directly elected executive head arguing that it gives rise to dictatorship.

CPN (Maoist Centre) leader Giriraj Mani Pokhrel said his party has been demanding a directly elected executive president for long to ensure political stability, national independence and prosperity of the country.