Nepal parliament vote likely to be postponed

Less than a fortnight after Nepal's government decided to indefinitely put off a vital constituent assembly election, another crucial vote that was to have been held in parliament Tuesday is also likely to be postponed.

Nepal's third largest party, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), that is currently trying to broker a pact between the two biggest parties in parliament - Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's Nepali Congress and the Maoists - Saturday asked Speaker Subhash Chandra Nembang for more time for a debate that began in the house last week.

Jhalanath Khanal, the UML's foreign affairs chief, told IANS his party has asked the speaker to allow two more days to enrol the names of legislators who would like to take part in the ongoing debate on King Gyanendra's fate.

The UML move adds a fresh twist to the special session of parliament that started Thursday following the Maoists' demand.

On Thursday, Maoist spokesman and former information and communications minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, along with two minor communist parties, urged the house to scrap Nepal's 238-year-old monarchy, blaming the king for the current violence in the country.

The trio are also asking for a proportional election system so that the Maoists improve their chances at the hustings.

The house was to have held a debate on the demands for two days from Sunday. On Tuesday it was to have taken a vote among the 237 current MPs.

If two-third of the legislators had approved of the Maoist demands, the government would have been forced to sack the king immediately.

However, the vote was likely to plunge Nepal from one crisis to another since both the Nepali Congress and UML are opposed to the Maoist demands. The rebels, on the other hand, had warned they would pull the government down and start a new revolt if they failed to win Tuesday's vote.

In a bid to buy more time and try hammer out an understanding, the UML has now asked the Speaker for two more days to register the name of MPs who would take part in the debate. They have also asked for two more days for the discussion.

So now the debate would start only from Tuesday instead of Sunday. Also it would last for four days instead of two.

Therefore, the house vote would now be held on Oct 21, instead of Tuesday.

Khanal said the speaker is most likely to heed the request.

"We hope to teach a middle path by then," he told IANS.

It remains to be seen if by then Nepal would have resolved the long impasse that made the Maoists quit the government.

Consequently, the election, regarded as crucial to Nepal's peace process, was called off indefinitely.

Khanal, whose party is holding talks with both Koirala and the Maoists, said all the top leaders felt that fresh poll dates should be announced soon.

The UML move comes after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's special envoy Shaym Saran delivered New Delhi's message that there was no alternative to the polls, which should be held at the earliest.

(IANS)

Police, protesters clash ahead of G8 in Italy

Lady Liberty statue reopened to freedom tourists

New swine flu case takes India\'s tally to 129

Mango festival starts in Haryana

Revocation of AFSPA should be left to Centre: Ansari

President urges civil servants to have a development-centric approach

Serena turns tables on Venus for third Wimbledon title