Amid a political deadlock in Nepal, Maoist chief Prachanda was on Wednesday appointed as the coordinator of a panel entrusted with sorting out contentious issues hindering the drafting of the country’s new Constitution.
The decision to appoint Prachanda, who pulled out of the Prime Minister’s race recently after failing to get elected to the top post, was taken at the first meeting of the task force in Kathmandu. The meeting also appointed leaders from major political parties for helping the task force to complete its task.
Maoist leader Dev Gurung said Prachanda was made the coordinator of the task force as he represents the largest party in the Constituent Assembly. The task force will sort out issues hindering the drafting of the new Constitution in Nepal, which finds itself in a deep political crisis.
Nepalese lawmakers have failed to elect a new Prime Minister in the 12 rounds of polls held so far after incumbent Madhav Kumar Nepal quit in June.
Besides Prachanda, the seven-member task force comprises of Nepali Congress parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Poudyal, CPN-UML chairman Jhalanath Khanal, Madhesi People’s Rights Forum chairman Upendra Yadav, Nepal Workers Peasants Party chairman Narayan Man Bijukchhe, Prem Bahadur Singh and Rukmini Chaudhary.
The task force was formed on Monday during a meeting of 27 political parties of the Constituent Assembly and will meet again tomorrow.