Kathmandu, December 17:

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has called a convention of the Constitutional Council at 5 pm Thursday. It is a day after he revoked the ordinance on the Constitutional Council Act.  

Chief Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi has confirmed the meeting at 6 pm, today. Leader and president of the Opposition party, Nepali Congress (NC) Sher Bahadur Deuba has been called for a meeting at 5 pm, according to available sources close to him. However, the sources disclose that Deuba will not attend the meeting.

The Constitutional Council chaired by Prime Minister consists of the Speaker, Chairperson of the National Assembly, Chief Justice, Leader of the Opposition, and the Deputy Speaker as members. The council makes recommendations for the appointment of officials to various constitutional bodies.

As per new provisions, introduced through an ordinance on Tuesday, the meeting does not require the presence of the Speaker and the leader of the opposition party as a simple majority is sufficient. There is no deputy Speaker currently.

Oli during his Nepal Communist Party’s Standing Committee on Wednesday agreed to revoke the ordinance following his talks with the other party chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Prahanda.

It was expected that a Cabinet meeting on Thursday would recommend the President to revoke the ordinance since there is increasing inter-party and intra- party political disputes.