Nepal brings ordinance to amend provision for political party split

The Sher Bahadur Deuba Cabinet’s move came a day after Parliament was prorogued. Bhandari ended the monsoon session on Monday, upon the request of the ruling government.

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Kathmandu: Sher Bahadur Deuba-led government on Wednesday (August 18) passed an ordinance that allows a split in a political party with the support of just 20 percent central committee members or parliamentary party members. This was after President Bidya Devi Bhandari signed the ordinance by amending the Political Party Act. 

The Cabinet’s move came a day after the Parliament was prorogued. Bhandari ended the monsoon session of the parliament, on Monday, upon the request of the ruling government.

Earlier, the Political Parties Act had provision that any group can register a new party if it can show it has support of 40 percent members of the Central Committee and the Parliamentary Party. If both the Central Committee and the parliamentary parties could not get 40 percent members, the office-bearers or MPs who separated from any party could lose their posts.

Now, with the ordinance signed, any group can form a party with the support 20 percent members. 

The ordinance is aimed to benefit the Madhav Kumar Nepal-Jhalanath Khanal faction of CPN-UML, whose support is deciding factor for the survival of Deuba led government.

It has been over a month, since the government was formed and the Prime Minister is yet to form a cabinet. One of the major reason behind the delay of the formation of the cabinet is that Deuba was trying to bring Nepal faction into the government. 

Since, the Nepal faction of UML currently lacks 40 per cent support in both the parliamentary party and the central committee, the government is said to have brought the ordinance to facilitate the UML’s split. 

Now, Nepal faction can split the party without losing parliamentary seats and form a new party of their own. The faction will later extend their support to the government. 

The main opposition CPN-UML has now officially split, with Nepal faction deciding to register a new political party and is likely to name it ‘CPN-UML Socialist”. 

The move has not only been opposed by the opposition KP Sharma Oil led CPN-UML but also by Nepali Congress leader Shekhar Koirala. In a tweet the leader said, “The ordinance might have been brought with the aim to run the government with a comfortable majority, but the idea of running the government through an ordinance cannot be supported. This is not the culture of the Nepali Congress.”

Meanwhile, Oli has removed its 14 leaders including Madhav Kumar Nepal from the party. The passing of the ordinance has also benefited Mahanta Thakur faction of Janata Samjbadi Party (JSP). 

Following the Election Commission (EC) announcement of granting official recognition to Upendra Yadav led faction of JSP, Thakur decided to register a new politic party called Janata Samajbadi Party (Democratic).