Kathmandu: Nepal`s three major political
parties, who are seeking to reach a deal to extend the term of
the Constituent Assembly beyond May 28, on Monday delayed a voting
on a key bill to amend the constitution amid continuing
deadlock.
Parliamentary Business Advisory Committee (PBAC) on Monday
postponed a meeting of the Parliament as per the
recommendation made by the major three parties-- the prime
minister`s Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist),
the Nepali Congress and the main Opposition Unified
CPN-Maoist.
Accordingly, parliament`s sitting on Monday was
postponed till Tuesday.
Nepal`s ruling coalition last week introduced a bill
in the 601-Assembly to extend the term of the House for one
year so that it can finish the task of framing a new
constitution.
CPN-Maoist party, with nearly 35 percent of the
parliamentary seats, have refused to cooperate in extending
the Assembly till Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal steps
down.
Without the Maoists support, the ruling coalition
would be unable to garner the two-thirds parliamentary vote
required to get the proposal approved by the House.
A meeting of Unified CPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress and
UML today decided to ask the Constituent Assembly chairman to
postpone the voting on the bill, Ram Chandra Paudel, Nepali
Congress leader, was quoted as saying in the media.
The Maoist party had registered a bill opposing the
government’s decision to extend the term of the House.
The deadlocked leaders have underlined the need for a
consensus rather than voting to deal with the extension of the
House. They have decided to meet tomorrow to forge a consensus
on the issue.
PTI
