The election on Sunday for a new prime minister is likely to make a history of its own, with more than two-thirds of the parliamentarians abstaining from the vote.
Of 598 lawmakers, more than 450 of them will not vote for either candidate in the eighth round of prime ministerial election to be held on Sunday at 3 pm. UCPN (Maoist) candidate Pushpa Kamal Dahal has withdrawn from the prime ministerial race but Nepali Congress candidate Ram Chandra Poudel is bent on stepping into the ring regardless.
The abstention decision comes against the backdrop of disagreements between the UCPN (Maoist) and Nepali Congress (NC) on candidacy withdrawal.
Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal signed a three-point agreement with CPN-UML on Sept. 17 to pull out from the prime ministerial race, while his rival NC Parliamentary Party leader Ram Chandra Poudel has declined to withdraw — stressing instead on the need to resolve the deadlock through the ongoing voting procedure.
The Maoists and UML whose combined strength is 344 seats, well beyond the number required for a simple majority, have agreed not to participate in the polls.
The three major Madhes based parties—Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Loktantrik (28 seats), Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party (20 seats), Sadbhawana Party (9 seats)—on Saturday announced they would abstain in Sunday’s election. The Madhesi Janadhikar Forum with 25 seats has
said it too will not participate in the voting.
“It is meaningless to conduct the voting tomorrow as a majority of lawmakers will not participate in the election,” Maoist Vice-Chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha said on Saturday evening. “We will boycott the House session if the Speaker doesn’t cancel the meaningless election.”
The Maoists and the UML have been calling on the NC to withdraw its candidacy so that the prime ministerial process can be given a fresh start. Poudel, however, has claimed that such a move is “unconstitutional” and that the ongoing process should continue unless one of the candidates wins the election.
“I will continue to contest the elections,” said Poudel. He said the NC is ready to stay in opposition if the Maoist and UML form an agreement. Amid uncertainity over resolving the impasse, Speaker Subas Nembang has invited
the Business Advisory Committee of the Parliament at 11 a.m. on Sunday to discuss the row. “The Parliament will continue voting unless both the candidates submit a formal application for the withdrawal of the proposal as per Clause 22 in the Parliament Rules of Procedures,” said Speaker Nembang.
“None of the two candidates so far has made such a formal request,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and the Rastriya Janashakti Party have decided to vote for Poudel in Sunday’s election.
Fringe political parties - the Nepal Majdoor Kishan Party, Nepal Pariwar Dal, Rastriya Janamukti Party, Nepa Rastriya Party, Sadbhawana (Sarita Giri) and CPN-ML (Samajwadi) - that backed Dahal in the previous round have said they will adopt a “no-vote” position.
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