Oli calls for fresh parliamentary elections

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Two days after the standing committee meeting of the CPN-UML stressed the need to hold fresh elections, party’s senior leader KP Sharma Oli today made it clear that the parliamentary elections must be held after a national consensus government was formed by removing the constitutional hurdles.

Addressing a function organised here by the party-affiliated Press Chautari, Oli said that the national consensus government would hold fresh elections of Legislature-Parliament, which would also double as the Constituent Assembly.

He said that the newly-elected Parliament could also work in capacity of the Constituent Assembly for some time and the Legislature-Parliament would remain in force even after adopting the new constitution.

UML’s standing committee meeting held on Wednesday decided that fresh elections must be held to bail the country out of the current political and constitutional deadlock.

However, the standing committee meeting mentioned nothing about holding fresh elections either of the Constituent Assembly or of the Legislature-Parliament.

With the senior UML leader spilling the bean, it appears that the UML, which suffered a setback during the 2008 CA polls, is geared up for fresh election of the Legislature-Parliament. The UML’s call for fresh parliamentary election has come after it held cadres’ trainings in major parts of the country for a month.

Oli also said that Constituent Assembly election was not possible on November 22 as announced by the incumbent government.

“After the parties form joint government on consensus basis, it can hold fresh parliamentary election by removing constitutional barriers,” Oli said.

He also informed that major parties were in informal talks about forming the consensus government which, he said, would materialise at the earliest.

Considering the unfolding political development, UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal, who was scheduled to embark today on a two weeks long visit to some European countries, put off his trip at the eleventh hour, according to a statement issued by Rambabu Adhikari, Khanal’s personal secretary.

Oli also said that the Baburam Bhattarai’s government continued till the date as the Nepali Congress was reluctant to give name of its leader leading the joint government.

“If the NC fails to pick up its prime ministerial candidate, it should leave the space for others,” Oli said. He has already said that he would be ready to lead the next government if the NC failed to take the lead.

He also claimed that the Bhattarai-led coalition would have gone before the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly had the NC been ready to bring a no-confidence motion against the government.

Oli also claimed that his party had no ideological problem despite the fact that some of the leaders of ethnic origin expressed dissident voices. “I do not know from where they have been influenced,” Oli said, adding the party had already addressed their concerns.

But the standing committee on Wednesday relived the ethnic UML leaders from their party responsibilities till they return to the party.