Kathmandu : Whenever the country is in a period of political transition, there are apolitical and unconstitutional actions. In the period from 2057 to 2062, political forces basically won. In the vacuum created after the failure of the First Constituent Assembly, the country was entrusted to the hands of apolitical forces. So much so that not only the executive head but also the authority and other constitutional bodies were captured by the external power center. The unfortunate thing was that Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai were the official proponents within the country who handed over the country to the hands of apolitical characters. It is most frightening to see the scenario of making Khilraj Regmi the president, Regmi’s proponent Sher Bahadur Deuba and KP Sharma Oli and Prachanda among the supporters of silence.With the Election Commission submitting the election results to President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Thursday, parties have stepped up discussions on a new federal government, provincial government and appropriate candidate for new President.
The post of President is among key positions the ruling coalition will include in its power-sharing deal, which the member parties are yet to agree upon. Other positions to be shared among the parties include the Vice-President, Speaker and Deputy speaker and the Vice-chairperson of the National Assembly.
He was replaced by Bidya Devi Bhandari, a woman leader as well Vice President of the then CPN-UML.
As the country has already gotten a Madheshi and a woman as President, it would be better to elect a Janajati to the top post this time,” some political analyst .
Article 61 of the constitution says the role of the President is to promote national unity, abide by the statute and also protect it. The very spirit of the constitution is to maintain diversity in the country’s topmost constitutional positions. As per Article 70, the election of the President and Vice-President should be done to ensure representation of different sexes or communities.
While parties are considering picking a new president from among political faces, our sources claimed by the backing of foreign power broker, a few leaders have recommended former Chief Justice Kalyan Shrestha for the top job.
Constitutional experts say the republican Nepal set a good example by electing representatives from disadvantaged groups as its two presidents.
According to some leaders, Vice-President of Nepali Congress Purna Bahadur Khadka also held a meeting with ex Chief Justice Shrestha.
But a leader familiar with the goings-on says Shrestha’s name was first recommended by some foreign power and then by the legal fraternity. Also former chief justice Khil Raj Regmi on Tuesday held a meeting with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba for around an hour and a half and there are speculations that Regmi could also be a candidate for new President by the choice of external power centers.
But several other names—from both political and non-political backgrounds—for the new President have also been making rounds in political circles.
From former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to senior Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel to Agni Sapkota, recently outsets speaker of Her are also said to be in the race for President.
Former chief justice Shrestha, according to some Congress leaders, is the choice of some foreign forces and is still under consideration at the top political level.
Parties and stakeholders are also wary of the way first president Ram Baran Yadav and incumbent president Bhandrai exercised power during their respective terms, a Congress leader said. “That’s why both domestic and foreign forces are lobbying for certain personalities as presidential candidates.”
The President replaced the king as the head of the state after Nepal became a republic in 2008. Dr Ram Baran Yadav, a Nepali Congress leader, became the first President of the country. Yadav, a member of the marginalised Madheshi community, served as the head of state for more than seven years—from July 2008 to October 2015.
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