Lalitpur, July 23:

Political parties that shaped the 1990 constitution will dominate the constitution-making process this time also, a working paper states, adding that this recurring process may not be fully compatible with the new credo of inclusiveness.

“Among the political parties, the most influential members will be drawn from the same circle that dominated the 1990’s constitution-making process,” states the paper — The Interim Constitution on the Constitution-Making Process — presented by Yash Ghai of the Constitution Advisory Support Unit under the UNDP at a workshop organised here today.

Ghai points out that many challenges to the Interim Constitution (IC) have come from the widely-held perception of the lack of inclusiveness. “Even if excluded groups are now admitted to the Constituent Assembly, if they come as members of established parties, their influence will be small,” Ghai says. The second problem, according to Ghai, is the lack of space for the people in general and civil society in particular. The IC has no provision for the involvement of the people, other than as voters.

Addressing the workshop, Speaker of parliament Subas Nembang said he was for proportional representation electoral system, but the nation has reached to a consensus on adopting the mixed system.