Accusing the political parties of failing to come up with an ‘inclusive’ PR list, Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NFIN) on Sunday submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission (EC).

NFIN’s chairperson Pasang Sherpa said that the memorandum was submitted to EC seeking its attention to the ‘under-representation’ of indigenous groups or Janjatis under the PR system

Despite the seven party government agreeing to induct at least one member each from all 59 indigenous groups into the Constituent Assembly in the agreement reached with NFIN, some 20 marginalized groups are still left out in both Proportional Representation (PR) and first-past-the-post (FPTP) lists. Sherpa has already threatened that NEFIN will take to the streets from the very first day of the CA meeting if the major political parties go back on their words.

Receiving the memorandum, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Bhojraj Pokharel said that the election body was committed to make the assembly inclusive as far as possible by remaining within the legal parameters.

Legal provisions allow EC to urge political parties to make their PR list inclusive, or if need be help them in making one.

Sherpa had earlier withdrawn his nomination for the membership of the constituent assembly complaining that CPN-UML, the party that nominated him, failed to come up with an ‘inclusive’ PR list. nepalnews.com ag May 04 08