KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 19

The new statute of the CPN-UML prepared after incorporating all the inputs received from the participants of the recently held first statute convention stipulates that party members can become members of the central committee only after serving the party for 10 years. But women, Dalits, workers, minorities, indigenous nationalities, and differently-abled people can become members of the central committee after serving the party for seven years.

A party member can become general convention representative only after a 10-year association with the party, but women, Dalits, workers, minorities, indigenous nationalities, and differently-abled people can become general convention representatives after serving the party for seven years.

A UML member can become central office bearer and member of the party's standing committee only after serving as a member of the central committee for at least one term.

UML leader Agni Prasad Kharel said the requirement of 10 and sevenyear-long association was justifiable in the sense that only leaders with a fairly long association with the party deserved to serve on the top bodies of the party. 'I became a member of the UML's central committee only after 26 years,' Kharel added.

The UML statute, however, stipulates that the requirement of the period of association will not apply to leaders who join the party after quitting other parties. This means the former Maoist leaders or other leaders who were formerly associated with other parties but joined the UML later can become central committee members and members/representatives of other top bodies of the UML.

The party requires all leaders to be below 70 years of age to be able to get elected or nominated to any executive body of the party. If any leader who gets elected or nominated to the party's executive bodies reaches the age of 70 after getting elected or nominated s/he can, however, complete the tenure of the concerned executive body. The statute also bars members from serving more than two terms in the same committee or post above the local-level party committees.

The party held a convention of this type for the first time between October 1 and 3. The party is preparing to print 10,000 copies of the statute and the final version of the party statute has been sent to the printing press.

The 88-page party statute has the provision of a chairperson, two deputy chairpersons, including a senior one, a general secretary, a deputy general secretary, and seven secretaries.

A version of this article appears in the print on October 20, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.