CA to forward seven thematic drafts to CC Wednesday

	REPUBLICA KATHMANDU, Jan 26: The parties have decided to forward seven preliminary drafts of the new constitution prepared by the Constituent Assembly (CA) thematic committees to the Constitutional Committee (CC) that is mandated to settle differences and prepare an integrated draft. CA Chairman Subas Nembang has called the CA meeting for Wednesday with a plan to endorse the proposal to forward the drafts to the CC.  Of the total eleven thematic drafts, the CA had earlier forwarded three reports to the CC while eight drafts were pending due to disputes over the contents in the reports. “The CA meeting will endorse the leaders´ decision to settle 127 differences and will forward seven of the eight pending drafts to the CC,” CA Spokesman Mukunda Sharma, told Republica. The leaders decided to not forward the draft of the State Restructuring Committee as the major parties had earlier decided to form a high-level commission to conduct a detailed study and make recommendations for state restructuring issues. Of the 210 disputes identified by the drafts-study committee, the high-level taskforce led by UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and the all-party mechanism in the CA has resolved 127 differences. Earlier, the CC was entrusted only with preparing an integrated draft of the new constitution. By making some amendments to the CA regulations, the CA has recently mandated the drafting committee to also settle differences over contents in the drafts. Nilambar Acharya, chairman of the drafting committee, said he will call the committee´s meeting next week. “I have been emphasizing on the need for first determining the system of governance -- presidential or prime ministerial -- to be adopted so that the CC can give shape to the integrated draft. However, I will take the committee´s work ahead as per the suggestions from the leaders,” Acharya told Republica. Parliamentary party leaders from almost all the political parties represented in the CA are members of the CC. He said the task of preparing a single draft cannot make much progress without first determining the system of governance. “Constitution drafting should be taken in a holistic manner,” he said. Acharya had earlier said it will take at least a month to prepare an integrated draft report if the CA forwards the drafts resolving all the disputes. This time around it will take more time as the drafts are attached with a list of differences yet to be resolved.
Published on 2011-01-26 06:00:20 http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=27577