Contributed by: Bishnu Pathak, PhD and Chitra Niraula
The concern of people of all strata in Nepal is whether the election of Constituent Assembly (CA) will be held on April or postponed again. There is a huge political dispute and debate going on among the political parties. The international community is also unsure of the condition and has taken the stand of ‘wait and see’. The civil society too is clinging to the thin thread of CA polls. The PM Girija Prasad Koirala was saying that he would resign if CA is not held and his basis to work would be finished 56 days prior to the first CA schedule (mid-June 2007). However, the Election Commission (EC) issued a statement that the polls would require 110 days for preparation and could not meet the deadline, which led to postponement for the first time. People believe that the statement was put forward through the EC because to save the image of NC (particularly the PM). The second date fixed was Nov 22, 2007, which was postponed because of the debates instigated by two issues raised by Maoists: declaration of republic and full proportionate electorate system. Continue reading
