BIKRM RAI
The second Constituent Assembly (CA) election took place six months ago, and it has been four months since the first meeting of the CA took place. But 26 members still remain to be nominated. In their absence, there are many doubts about the legitimacy of CA decisions.
The Khilraj Regmi-led government should have initiated consultations with political parties regarding the 26 before the first CA meeting. But it did not and even after nearly 100 days in office, the Sushil Koirala-led coalition has also failed to come up with names.
Nepali politics has always been a victim of the indecisiveness of the political leadership. Prime Minister Koirala has been criticised for his lacklustre performance, and his inability to take swift decisions not just from the opposition but also his party’s own lawmakers.
Delaying the nomination of the remaining 26 members raises questions over the political parties’ commitment to the drafting of the constitution within a year.
The cabinet will decide on the nominations, but this requires cooperation from all the parties. It will not be fair if the 26 seats are divided among the parties based on power, money and influence. If it becomes a bargaining tool, then many candidates who lost the election will try to redeem themselves or buy their way to the parliament through the remaining 26 seats.
The government should pay special attention to nominating only those who can actually contribute to the constitution writing process.
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