Kathmandu, June 16

The government today unveiled its time-bound work plan to hold three elections by 2017-end for the implementation of the new constitution.

The Cabinet meeting held today endorsed the action plan to implement the constitution by January 24, 2018, including the ambitious plan to hold local, federal and parliamentary elections.

Minister for Information and Communications and spokesperson for the government Sherdhan Rai said today’s Cabinet meeting endorsed the action plan.

He said civic polls would be held by mid-December, federal polls by mid June 2017 and polls to elect members of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly would be held by November 2017.

However, Nepali Congress leader Prakash Sharan Mahat said UML had been announcing different plans but the PM was not interested in implementing them and had not been doing necessary groundwork and preparations in earnest.

“The seriousness of the Cabinet’s action plan can be gauged by the recent call by Deputy Prime Minister Chitra Bahadur KC to launch struggle against federalism,” Mahat said, adding that protests against the delineation of constituencies were still on.

Ruling coalition partner CPN-Maoist Centre’s leader Mani Thapa said holding elections without national consensus among all major parties would be difficult.

As per the action plan, a Language Commission will be formed, an act related to the Justice Administration will be prepared and the federal commission will be constituted for collecting suggestions on demarcation of federal units by August 16.

Minister Rai said high courts would be in place by September 16, legislation related to constitutional bodies and commissions would be brought by October 16, the federal parliament election constituencies’ delimitation commission would be formed and the constitutional bodies would be constituted by November 15 and civic polls would be held by December 15.

In this time frame all the constitutional bodies and commissions will also be formed, Rai said.

By January 13 laws related to the election of the president and vice- president and the laws concerning harmonisation of the employees of the central, provincial and local levels would be brought, besides preparing legislation for election to provincial assemblies and members of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly.

Heads of the federal units will be appointed by April 13, 2017, and temporary capitals will also be assigned. Rai said the government would present the action plan in the Parliament for discussion.

The election of the president and vice-president will be held after concluding the general elections before end of January 2018.

A leader of Sadbhawana Party Manish Suman, however, said elections were not possible without amending the constitution after holding talks with the United Democratic Madhesi Front successfully.

The so-called action plan to implement the constitution is meant only to deceive people, alleged Suman.