Dates for elections to be fixed only after consultations: PM Deuba

January 23, 2005
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Dismissing the statement by the spokesman of his own government, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said he is not in a position to say whether dates for elections would be announced within a week.

In an exclusive interview with BBC Nepali Service Sunday, premier Deuba said he would consult the Election Commission, his own coalition partners and parties outside the government before fixing the date for parliamentary elections. “It will take some time,” he added.

Talking to BBC Nepali Service on Saturday, Minister for Information and Communications, Dr. Mohammed Mohsin, had said the government should either announce the date for elections within a week or vacate the seat as per the mandate given by the King.

The premier, however, said legal meaning of the royal mandate has been interpreted in a way that the process of elections could be initiated by the end of 2061 B. S. (mid-April 2005).

Replying to a query by Suman Kharel of the BBC Nepali Service, the premier said the elections would be held in a phase-wise manner and that the Maoists, too, would have to think thrice about disrupting elections if all the political parties went for elections.

When asked if the government was ready to discuss the major agenda of the Maoists – to hold elections for the constituent assembly– the premier said the government was ready to discuss all the issues raised by the Maoists. “But they should (first) say what are the shortcomings in the present constitution and what would be the form of the new constitution to be drafted by the constituent assembly.”

Prime Minister Deuba also ruled out the possibility of international mediation to help resolve the nine-year-old conflict. “Our position is that the Maoists too are Nepalis and that Nepalis should come to an understanding between themselves. And, there is no guaranty that international mediation will certainly help resolve the matter,” he added.

Responding to a question on the possibility of reinstating the dissolved parliament, the premier said the government was going for elections as he did not see any possibility of reinstating the dissolved House. “There is no such provision in the constitution and the Supreme Court has already ruled out such possibility,” he added.

Constitutional experts, however, insist that the apex court verdict (in favour of premier Deuba’s decision to dissolve the parliament in May 2002) was conditional and that the constitution doesn’t bar the reinstatement of the House since fresh elections could not be held within the stipulated period of six months.

His Majesty King Gyanendra sacked the Deuba administration in October the same year for “failing to organize elections as per the schedule” and assumed executive powers himself. He later re-appointed Deuba in June last year with a mandate to hold elections within ten months.

Responding to another query, premier Deuba refuted allegations that the country was heading towards militarisation. “This is not the army rule and the Maoists themselves compelled us to well-equip the army,” said the premier.
He also alleged the Maoists of indulging in activities like abduction, extortion, recruiting children and killing people indiscriminately in the name of informers. “No such activity has been carried out from the security forces and those who have been found guilty have been punished. The behaviour of the security personnel has improved,” he added.

The Prime Minister added that the on-going conflict could be resolved only through negotiated settlement. “It will take time but I would like to assure (all the Nepalis) that there will be peace in Nepal one day,” he added.

He, however, did not say how long it would take and at what cost. nepalnews.com by Jan 23 05