2013-03-17,Kathmandu: A meeting of four major political parties on Saturday formed an eight-member High-level Political Committee to facilitate the functioning of the Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi-led interim election government.
The meeting of UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) held at the office of Special Committee Secretariat decided that members of such Committee will comprise the top leaders of the four political forces and a second-rung leader from each party.
The committee has been formed with a purpose of assisting and facilitating the government to take decisions on the issues of political nature related to holding the elections in June. The committee will be chaired by the top leaders of the four parties on rotational basis every month. The four parties also struck an understanding to include more members in the committee after holding discussions with other parties who have been protesting the formation of CJ-led government and “monopoly” of the four parties.
After Regmi refused to work under the guidance of such party mechanism, the four parties agreed not to interfere in government tasks but only suggest and give consultations to Regmi and his Cabinet.
According to an NC leader, the committee meeting also made recommendations for appointment to various constitutional bodies.
At first, there will be appointments to the Election Commission (EC), the constitutional body mandated for holding elections, very soon. It will have five commissioners. As per the understanding among the parties, former Acting Chief Election Commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety and two former commissioners Dolakh Bahadur Gurung and Ayodhee Prasad Yadav will be reappointed as chief election commissoner and commissoners, respectively, for holding the elections.
One commissioner will be from the Madhesi community and another will be a woman representative. The SLMM will nominate a commissioner from Madhes, while the government decides on a woman commissioner. About the Cabinet expansion, according to leaders, top leaders of the major parties and Regmi are in continuous consultations to finalise the names of the remaining ministers.
Under the 11-point agreement, Regmi will appoint the ministers from among former top bureaucrats, but the parties are reportedly pushing for their own people for the posts. The government is planning to provide a complete shape to an 11-member Cabinet, make appointments to constitutional bodies and announce the election date as per the agreement among parties. According to the leaders, all these tasks will be completed within a couple of days.
Source: Ekantipur