KATHMANDU, AUGUST 18
The CPN-UML, which at one point in parliamentary history boasted of a two-thirds majority, has now split into two after senior party figure and former chair Madhav Kumar Nepal filed an application to register a new party at the Election Commission.
Nepal, along with his close aides, reached the EC premises on Wednesday afternoon, soon after President Bidya Devi Bhandari issued the ordinance to amend the Political Parties Act 2071, aimed at easing the procedure for political parties to split.
The group has decided to register its party under the name CPN-UML (Socialist) and has chosen open book as its election symbol, ending all routes to a 'reunion' and putting a final nail in the coffin.
Meanwhile, it has been learnt that a considerable amount of leaders who have been supporting Nepal throughout during his months long feud with Oli, have decided not to join the new party reasoning that their fight was against a person and his tendencies and not against the party.
The Sher Bahadur Deuba led-government had recomended the promulgation of the ordinance to President Bhandari on Tuesday, in a bid to facilitate the registration of Nepal-Khanal faction's party.
The amendment ordinance stipulates that 20 per cent or more members of the parliamentary party and the central committee of a political party can split their mother party. Before the amendment, provisions of the Political Party Act required dissidents to have the support of 40 per cent of members in the parliamentary party and the central committee to split their mother party.
