Parties start decisive talks on disputed issues of new constitution

For the first time in the second Constituent Assembly (CA), Nepal’s major parties started decisive talks on the contentious issues of the new constitution, party leaders said on Sunday.

The Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and the opposition party UCPN (Maoist) are engaged in serious talks on the form of government, federalism, electoral system and judiciary as the deadline of constitution promulgation looms large. Party leaders seem upbeat that they would explore a compromising point on disputed issues of new constitution.

The major parties have prepared their respective position on contentious issues of a new constitution. The three-party started from Sunday morning and will last for a couple of days, according to cross-party leaders.

“Parties have begun a serious talks on contentious issues of new constitution, so it would be better for the journalists not to ask anything for next three days,” senior leader of CPN-UML Madhav Kumar told reporters. He said parties can speak something only after three days.

The largest and ruling party NC on Saturday unveiled the official position on contentious issues of a new constitution.

The party said that there should not be more than seven provinces on the basis of economic viability. The Constituent Assembly (CA) on Friday provided one week’s time for parties to seek consensus on contentious issues of a new constitution. The constitution promulgation deadline is January 22, 2015.