Constituent Assembly (CA) Chairman Subash Chandra Nembang on Thursday adjourned it for a week to allow time to political parties to settle disputes over the new Constitution.
The 30-party opposition alliance, meanwhile, did not attend the meeting of the CA citing its “unchanged” decision not to participate in the Assembly unless the government withdrew the process of writing the Constitution through voting. Earlier on Thursday, the alliance leaders decided to continue with their boycott of the assembly.
Chairman Nembang informed the members present that he would initiate the process when the CA meets after a week.
Koirala’s return
The assembly which has not conducted any business since February 12 this year would now meet on April 30 by which time Prime Minister Sushil Koirala would return from his Indonesia trip.
The three major political parties, the Nepali Congress, the CPN (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and UCPN (Maoist), have come closer to striking an agreement on the disputes related to the new statute – federalism, model of governance, electoral system and judiciary.
One of the alternatives being discussed is to enter the process on all disputes except federalism.
Some Madhes-based parties are, however, opposed to any such deal that keeps the decision on federalism to future.
The political parties have missed their self-imposed deadline of promulgating the Constitution by January 22 this year, exactly a year after the first sitting of the assembly that was elected in November 2013.