Photo: Bikram RaiThe Constituent Assembly (CA) has passed the constitution bill with two thirds majority on Wednesday.
A total of 507 votes were cast in favor of the bill while 25 votes were cast against it. According to the interim constitution, two thirds majority is required to endorse the bill which means a total vote of 399 out of the 598 occupied seats in the CA would have sufficed to pass the bill.
All three major parties i.e. Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML and UCPN-Maoist along with a majority of fringe parties voted for the constitution bill. Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal (RPP-N) led by Kamal Thapa however voted against the bill. Madhes-based parties had boycotted constitution drafting altogether.
A committee led by Baburam Bhattarai will polish the language and order of the new constitution before five copies of the final version goes to print.
The lawmakers will sign the five copies of Nepal's Constitution-2072 on Friday and the CA Chair will authenticate the new constitution.
The next meeting of the CA is scheduled for 5pm, 20 September when the new constitution will be promulgated by President Ram Baran Yadav.
All the articles of the constitution were endorsed on Wednesday.