Kathmandu, July 16

The Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal and Naya Shakti Party-Nepal today maintained that a revised constitution amendment bill should be passed by the House to foster conducive environment for elections.

Issuing a joint statement, the two parties warned that the country would plunge into serious political crisis if the bill was not passed before elections.

FSF-N Chair Upendra Yadav and NSP-N Coordinator Baburam Bhattarai said the argument about holding provincial elections after the local level polls was logical, but described the idea of having 240 parliamentary constituencies as being against the spirit of federalism.

The two parties further said they would not accept any move that could jeopardise federalism, republican order, secularism, inclusion and other political gains achieved through the people’s long struggle.

In the statement, Yadav and Bhattarai have also demanded that a constituency delimitation commission be immediately formed to determine the constituencies for provincial and parliamentary elections to be held in the near future.

The leaders also said that they would not accept any attempt to backtrack from political gains made so far and any decision that could weaken national unity.