Nepal's Interim Constitution amendment bill passed

March 10, 2007
http://english.people.com.cn/200703/09/eng20070309_356101.html

Nepal's Interim Constitution amendment bill is passed by Interim Parliament on Friday.

According to local leading media group's website THT Online, Nepali Interim Parliament passed a government-sponsored bill aimed at amending the interim statute by a two-third majority. In the 329-member house, 278 members voted for the amendment when Speaker Subash Kumar Nemwang put the bill for voting.

Nepali Congress, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist- Leninist), the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist, CPN-M) and Nepali Congress (Democratic) members voted for the amendment. The top four parties in the Interim Parliament issued whip to their members to be present in Friday's session.

Five parliament members voted against the Bill. Rastriya Prajatantra Party members are absent in the voting. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala attends Friday's session of the House.
On Feb. 18, minister for law and parliamentary affairs Narendra Bikram Nemwang registered the bill to amend the Interim Constitution at the Parliament Secretariat. The big parties have agreed to amend the Interim Constitution in two phases so as to address the demands of various agitating parties.

The first phase will take into account the commitment made by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to address the demands of the agitating Madhesi community in his second address to the nation which prompted the Madhesi People's Rights Forum to halt its Terai unrest for a while.
On February 7, the eight major Nepali political parties, including Seven-party Alliance and CPN-M signed an agreement guaranteeing the Terai region representation in the constituent assembly in proportion to its population. After that, PM Koirala addressed the nation after his first addressing on Jan. 31.

The violent demonstrations, mainly led by Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF, also called Madhesi Janadhikar Forum), caused more than twenty people's death. Many Terai towns witnessed curfews, strikes and widespread vandalism of public and private property in the unrest.

According to the leading media group's website eKantipur, the bill proposes Constituency Delimitation Commission to revise existing electoral constituencies. The Commission is to be headed by a retired Supreme Court justice who will recommend the number of constituencies to be added in the Terai region based on population proportion. In the hilly and mountain districts the increment will be based on the population growth.

The Commission will take into account the transportation facility, community and culture of the local populace besides population, geographical feasibility and specialty, density of population and border of the administrative districts while revising the constituencies.

With the new provisions enforced, the number of the constituent assembly members, which were fixed at 425, will soar significantly.

The bill also proposes amending Article 138 of the Interim Constitution to ensure that future model of the state would be federal. Ultimate decision related to restructuring of the state and the federal system will be carried out as determined by the Constituent Assembly.

The Council of Ministers will nominate 17 members to the assembly from among the people recognized for making significant contribution to the country. Source: Xinhua