Sunday, December 16, 2012

Agreement Close



Sushil Koirala


Sushil Koirala In Jackson Heights
Sushil Koirala, September 9

NC could accept UCPN (M)'s latest proposal: Deuba
NC could be given government leadership if parties agree to fix a date for CA election and and make appointments to constitutional bodies, including the Election Commission and the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority.
The most important thing is that elections be held in April 2013. I am glad we are about to see some movement to that end.

The all party government under Sushil Koirala has to be an attempt to bring together all the major political forces in the country. That would include the two Maoist parties, and the Upendra Yadav led front. So, all the parties in power right now, plus the Congress and the UML, the breakaway Maoists and the Upendra Yadav front.

Motorable roadway finally reaches remote Mugu in Karnali much to the delight of locals
Dahal confident of parties finalising deals for unity govt by Monday
Consensus agreement will be win-win deal: Sapkota

भट्टराई सरकारले संविधानसभा संशोधन गरेपछि कोइराला प्रधानमन्त्री
Protests will be a test of the opposition’s strength
No CA election unless ethnic issue discarded: KC


Bhattarai says he is ready to make 'sacrifice'



वार्तामा थप लचक हुने एकीकृत माओवादीको निर्णय
कृष्णप्रसाद सिटौलासंग-12.12.12
पोष्टबहादुर बोगटी र बामदेव गौतमसंग-08.12.12

PM Bhattarai warns Prez
It will be my failure if political process fails: PM
Parties would come to agreement soon: PM
Preparations for elections on war-footing: PM
Yadav: Craving for power unfortunate
Watch your step, PM tells Prez
“The only executive authority the President has is endorsing recommendations made by the Cabinet. He should not try to take unilateral decisions,” Bhattarai said.
Japan's LDP, partner on track for two-thirds majority in polls
चुनावको टुंगो छैन, आयोगले तयारी थाल्यो
'आयोगले वैशाखमा हुने चुनावमो पूर्व तयारी गर्दैछ,' निर्वाचन आयुक्त डा. अयोधीप्रसाद यादवले ईकान्तिपुरसित भने, 'सरकारबाट हामी (आयोग) आश्वस्त छौं । चुनावको आधारभूत पूर्वाधार निर्माण भइरहेको छ ।'..... 'निर्वाचन गराउन संविधान, ऐन, कानुन समयमै संशोधन भएर आउनु पर्छ,' आयुक्त यादवले भने, 'करिब एक महिनाभित्र आयोग पदाधिकारीविहीन हुनेछ भन्नेबारे सरकार र दलहरूलाई जानकारी छ । आयोगमा पदाधिकारी नरहे कुनै पनि चुनाव हुनसक्दैन ।' ..... आयोगले यसअघि नै संविधान तथा ऐन कानुनका संशोधन हुनुपर्ने बुँदा किटान गरी सरकारलाई बुझाइसकेको छ । त्यसैगरी आयोगका कार्यवाहक प्रमुख निर्वाचन आयुक्त दोलखबहादुर गुरुङ र आयुक्त यादवको पदावधि आगामी पुस २६ गते पूरा हुनेछ । आयोगका पाँच सदस्यमध्ये तीन सदस्यको पद रिक्त छ ।
मंसिरमा कानुन नआए वैशाखमा चुनाव हुँदैनः आयोग
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Friday, December 14, 2012

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Elections In April 2013 A Must


In Nepal, the quest for April elections

The Baburam Bhattarai government is a caretaker government. It must be replaced by a duly elected government at the earliest. And April 2013 is the best time. It is not a good idea to let a caretaker government stay in power for too long.

The old constituent assembly is dead and gone. A parliament not allowed to last for more than four years is not a bad move, and so I do not wish to drag the Supreme Court into controversy, especially when this particular parliament only had a two year life. That was ample time. The politicians of Nepal registered a collective failure.

Reviving that old assembly was never an option.

The president has no constitutional option to sack the Baburam Bhattarai government. But the political parties have the political option to come to a consensus on a replacement. But that consensus has been a nightmare. The very attempt has been foolish. Consensus is a Panchayati concept. It smells of no party rule.

Bi-polarization is a good thing.

The president is 100% responsible for the current gridlock. Once Baburam became a caretaker Prime Minister he did bring an election timetable. It was the president who unwisely refused to pass the election related ordinances. That was wrong. If those election related ordinances are now not passed by the president's office by the end of December that will mean elections will not be held in April 2013. Then we will be staring at November 2013 or, more likely, April 2014. The NC and the UML will have kept Baburam in the Prime Minister's Chair for a year longer than necessary.

Baburam's best option right now is to expand the cabinet to bring in the breakaway Maoists, the Upendra Yadav led front, Ashok Rai, Kumar Rai and others to form a broader alliance for federalism. As a Prime Minister he can reshuffle his cabinet, he can expand his cabinet, of course he can. That is what being the executive head of the country means. A caretaker Prime Minister is still Prime Minister.

The Asteroids Are Key To Unlocking The Gridlock
The Anti Federal Alliance (AFA)
Consensus Is Not Happening
Baburam's Options
Broadening The Ruling Alliance
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Tuesday, December 11, 2012

The Asteroids Are Key To Unlocking The Gridlock

This is the Anti Federal Alliance.


This is the Federal Alliance.


And these are the asteroids who belong in the Federal Alliance.


As soon as the asteroids realize they belong in the Federal Alliance, this gridlock game is over. And the federalists march on to first a political victory, and then a sweeping electoral victory.

The Anti Federal Alliance is like the king in 2005. The Federal Alliance is like the seven parties. The asteroids are like the Maoists in 2005. The king needed to be isolated through an alliance of the other two forces. Same thing now.

The Five Development Region Thinking
Consensus Is Not Happening
The NC, Fair Polls And The Game Of Musical Chairs
Baburam's Options
Broadening The Ruling Alliance
Four Poles: One PM, Three DPMs
UCPN (M) to be 'flexible' for consensus

Gachchhadar says he is not in PM race
'Walk for Nepal' organised in New York
Minister Tripathi inspects road expansion work



Dahal under pressure
Imagine PM Narendra Modi
An economic facelift

जनताको म्यान्डेटविना एक मिनेट पनि सरकारमा बस्नु लोकतन्त्रको घाँटी निमोठ्नु हो : उपेन्द्र यादव, अध्यक्ष-मधेशी जनअधिकार फोरम नेपाल
कांग्रेस–एमालेको मधेशप्रति प्रष्ट दृष्टिकोण छैन : सन्तोष मेहता, प्रवक्ता-सद्भावना पार्टी
SC issues show cause notice to Prez over consensus call



Dahal offers PM's post to Madhesi leaders
UML CC meet to go for unity govt
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The Anti Federal Alliance (AFA)


Baburam's Options
Broadening The Ruling Alliance

The FDRA hoping for some kind of a consensus with the Anti Federal Alliance would have been like the parties seeking consensus with the king in 2005. The polarization at that point was necessary. That is how progress was made, by making it the king versus the rest. The polarization today is also necessary. This is how federalism will be introduced in Nepal.
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Sunday, December 09, 2012

The Five Development Region Thinking

Krishna's Birthday
Krishna's Birthday (Photo credit: izahorsky)
The Nepali Congress, the UML, and the two monarchist parties - that is pretty much it. That is their alliance. And now they threaten to warm the streets. This is weird. Something like this happened in Bangladesh several years ago. The solution they went for was a non political PM. But the parties in Nepal are not opting for that. Sushil Koirala is against the non political PM idea.

I have seen maximum flexibility on Baburam's part. He is even willing to let go of his chair but he rightly insists a consensus candidate is agreed upon first. If you think political gridlock is a problem, imagine what a political vacuum would do. If you think not having an Election Commissioner is a problem, imagine what not having a PM would do.

The president can not unilaterally decide on a PM candidate. And the current PM can only be displaced by a consensus candidate. That too is a political decision. Legally, constitutionally speaking the current PM should be displaced by the next elected PM. Holding elections on November 22 was the right thing to do.

Instead the country is inching towards street confrontations between the Congree-UML-Monarchist cadres and Maoist-Madhesi cadres. That is unfortunate. The country is moving towards major political dysfunction.

The person responsible for this gridlock is Ram Baran, the president. The best option given the circumstances is for Ram Baran to pass the election related ordinances.

If you want to replace Baburam with your own candidate as PM, you go to the people and try your best to get a simple majority. You don't go into the streets.

The call for consensus is itself the problem. The bi-polarization of Nepali politics is a good thing. The debate on federalism is tricky, and it is for the Nepali people to decide at the ballot box as to which route they will go.

सरकारविरुद्ध आन्दोलन थाल्ने विपक्षीको चेतावनी
आइतबारै आफ्नो साझा रणनीतिबारे छलफल गर्न विपक्षी १५ दलको कार्यदलको वैठक बसेको थियो।
सरकारमा आउन विपक्षीलाई आग्रह गर्ने: गठबन्धन
"राष्ट्रपतिले दिएको समयसीमा भइन्जेल सहमति खोज्ने प्रयत्न गर्ने त्यस लगत्तै कांग्रेस एमाले लगायतलाई आह्वान गरेर यहि सरकारलाई राष्ट्रिय स्वरुप दिने प्रयत्न गर्नेछौं।" ... आएका विपक्षीलाई यहि मन्त्रिपरिषदमा आउन आग्रह गर्ने
राष्ट्रपतिद्वारा फेरि म्याद थप, दलहरुको विमति यथावत

Ten new cities to be developed in the country
Int'l Anti-corruption Day: CIAA crippled as per parties' interests, says PM
NA soldier held on murder charge
Kathmandu-Tarai Fast Track: Three Indian cos shortlisted
एमाले केन्द्रीय समिति आजबाट-सरकारको नेतृत्वबारे सोचिने
अब वार्ता होइन, आन्दोलनः विपक्षी कार्यदल
कार्यदलले मङ्सिर महिनाभित्रै प्रतिपक्षी दलमा सम्मिलित काँग्रेस, एमाले, राष्ट्रिय प्रजातन्त्र पार्टी, राष्ट्रिय जनशक्ति पार्टीलगायतको बैठक बसेर आन्दोलनको स्वरुप निर्धारण गर्नुपर्ने सुझावसमेत दिएको छ ।
कांग्रेस बैठकको निश्कर्ष-'प्रजातन्त्रसँग सत्ता साटिन्न'

Nepal's political deadlock will soon end: Prachanda
Dahal floats yet another proposal
Ruling alliance for cabinet expansion if no consensus by Wednesday

सी. के. लालसंग-05.12.12
UCPN (Maoist) now sets conditions, NC bitter


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