KATHMANDU, JUL 01 -
The government and major political parties made a grave mistake by allowing the Constituent Assembly (CA) to die without offering alternative constitutional arrangements, said President Ram Baran Yadav on Saturday.
Talking to a select group of journalists at Sheetal Niwas, President Yadav said that major parties and the government should have amended the Interim Constitution to stipulate the next course of action ahead of the CA dissolution.
“The four major political forces that represent over 80 percent of the population failed to act in a responsible manner. The situation would not have been so complex if they had forged an agreement on a future roadmap,” said Yadav.
The President also expressed displeasure at Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai’s decision to declare fresh CA elections without forging political consensus.
“The parties made a mistake but instead of facilitating consensus, the government committed another blunder,” he said. “The prime minister should have presented a bill to parliament to pave the way for an alternative course.”
Recalling that it was unity between political forces that made the 2008 CA elections possible, the President said that consensus among parties was the only way out of the current stalemate.
President Yadav said he would encourage all the political parties to come together as required of him by the Interim Constitution.
Yadav also said that he had previously encouraged all the parties to reach a compromise on the new constitution ahead of the CA expiry on May 27 to institutionalise the post-2006 political gains. Yadav claimed to have suggested that the parties incorporate agreed-upon issues in the constitution and refer contentious issues to the parliament that would be elected as per the new constitution.
The President’s remarks come in the wake of constitutional complexities surrounding budget formulation and presentation and preparations for new CA elections slated for November 22.
Source: http://www.ekantipur.com/2012/07/01/top-story/prez-review-parties-pm-made-mistakes/356421/
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