The government is going to table the bill proposing the tenure extension of the CA by a year in the parliament session scheduled at 3 pm Sunday. The bill has proposed amendment of Article 64 of the Interim Constitution.
RPP (Nepal), who has been opposing the extension of the CA without concrete outline for peace process first, has registered a notice of objection against the bill. The House will discuss on the notice of objection before permitting the government to table the bill. If the notice of objection is passed, the amendment bill will not be tabled in the house.
According to the CA secretary Thakur Prasad Baral, the House will provide 72 hours to the lawmakers to register amendment effective from Sunday evening. “The discussion will be held in next sitting of the house and then voting will be conduction, if need be,” he told nepalitimes.com.
The passage of the bill requires 398 votes, a two-thirds majority of the existing 596 members in the CA.
Meanwhile, the government has been preparing to introduce a 46-week calendar for the completion of constitution drafting in a bid to justify its proposal for tenure extension of the Constituent Assembly for a year.
The calendar has not clearly mentioned its date of implementation but has stated the integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants, the major contentious issue of the peace process. The first draft of the constitution will be completed within 12 weeks.
The schedule publicised by UML Chief Whip Bhim Prasad Acharya at a public function on Saturday has stipulated another 12 weeks for public opinions on the draft of the new constitution, which will be incorporated in the final draft of the constitution. The draft will be discussed in the full house session. The provision has it that two-third majority should pass each article of the constitution.
After the endorsement by the CA, the final draft of the constitution will be presented to the president who will then promulgate the new constitution.
If the political parties resolve their differences and reach a consensus on the contentious issues, the new constitution will promulgate one month ahead of 28 May deadline next year.
The proposed calendar of the CA
4 weeks
-Develop modality for integration and rehabilitation
-Resolve the contentious issues related to constitution
4 weeks
-Prepare the first draft of the constitution
-Begin the process of regrouping of combatants into the integration, rehabilitation and voluntary retirement groups
2 weeks
-Full-House deliberations over the first draft of the constitution
-Decamping of the combatants
2 weeks
-Finalise work related to integration and rehabilitation of the combatants
-Endorse the first draft of the constitution and publish in the Nepal Gazzete for public opinion
12 weeks
-Hold public interactions and collate their opinion on the draft constitution
2 weeks
-Prepare the report of the public opinion and table it in the CA for discussion
2 weeks
-Incorporate public opinion in the draft and discuss in the full house
2 weeks
-Present the draft to the Legislative Committee of the Parliament
2 weeks
-Register amendment bills on the final draft in the CA
4 weeks
-Deliberations on the amendments to forge consensus
8 weeks
-Full house discussion on each article of the final draft of the constitution (provision is that each articles should be passed by two third majority)
2 weeks
-Endorsement of the final draft of the new constitution, present it the president who will then promulgate the new constitution