The House witnessed the twelfth round of the futile prime ministerial election on Sunday, and the lawmakers’ histrionics, as they acted out the absurd drama, were marked by inaction and lethargy. Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party leader Ram Chandra Poudel received only 89 votes, a record low. Many lawmakers including from NC seemed to have deliberately missed the show as it has lost its value.
Interestingly, of the total 598 lawmakers only 119 attended Sunday’s voting, 29 lawmakers stayed neutral and one voted against Poudel. This shows Poudel is gradually getting fewer votes after each poll, and at times less than the number of lawmakers his party commands.
Having tossed up Poudel’s 12th defeat, which has been a gratifying circus for the UCPN (Maoist) and the CPN-UML that are urging Poudel to pull out, the House is braced for a thirteenth round of voting on Oct. 26.
After the twelfth defeat, Poudel blamed Speaker Subash Nembang and the Maoists for the mess. “I have been contesting the election to fulfil their wishes,” he said, reiterating that he will not withdraw unless there is new agreement among the parties on integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants.
NC believes that the Speaker should play an active role in ending the current poll deadlock by, among others, scrapping the provision of staying neutral during polls in the House.
The UCPN (Maoist) and the CPN-UML, on the other hand, want Poudel to pull out so that a new process for formation of consensus government can be initiated.
Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal pulled out from the polls on Sept. 26 after the eight round.
Speaker Nembang, however, has been trying to play safe in responding to calls from both sides. He has clarified that the provision of neutrality is there as per the rules and he could not think of any “new course” other than continuation of the ongoing polls unless Poudel also pulls out of the polls.
Neither of the parties, however, has engaged in serious talks for consensus. The prime ministerial polls had started in the Parliament from July 21 after the parties failed to pick a consensus candidate to replace caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal.
Posted on: 2010-10-11 07:04
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