Maoists for constituent assembly under UN supervision

January 17, 2004
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Maoist supremo Prachanda Friday said his party had no problem with multi-party polity and revealed that the rebels were in favor of an election of a constituent assembly by demobilizing the armies on both sides.

Prachanda’s statement posted on the online news service of the party mentioned that the United Nations or any international human rights group should be called in to observe such elections.

The Maoist supremo said the party still holds that the demand of roundtable conference, interim government and the election of constituent assembly, are the minimum conditions to gain the political objectives it has set out for.

The government had rejected the Maoist proposal of constituent assembly during peace talks, saying the rebels could make the elections in their favor by using force.

“Constituent assembly is the only method to institutionalize people’s sovereignty and is the most democratic way to give Nepalese people a chance to decide their fate and future. There is no reason why the idea of constituent assembly should be opposed,” the statement read.

The Maoist supremo said that the ultimate aim of the party is to establish republicanism through the process of constituent assembly. He claimed that the mandate of the people, if there were fair and peaceful elections, would go in favor of republicanism.

“Our goal is to free Nepalese society from the feudalism and imperialism,” the Maoist top gun said in his statement.

Absolute sovereignty of the people, secularism, a unified national military, regional and ethnic sovereignty and multi-party democracy, Prachanda said, are the political commitments of the party.

Press freedom and intellectual liberty will be guaranteed if their rule is established, he mentioned.

On foreign policy, the Maoists said that nonalignment would be the sole basis of ties with foreign countries, demanding end to all kinds of ‘discriminatory’ treaties with neighboring countries. nepalnews.com mk Jan 17