Eight parties demand withdrawal of decision to dissolve parliament

KATHMANDU: Chief whips of eight political parties called for the immediate withdrawal of the decision to dissolve the House of Representatives.

Issuing a joint statement on Saturday, the chief whips of the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Center), CPN (Unified Socialist), Janata Samajbadi Party, Janamat Party, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP) Nepal and Nagarik Unmukti Party also demanded the reinstatement of parliament.

“We strongly urge all concerned to revoke the decision that is said to have dissolved the House of Representatives and immediately convene a parliamentary session so that the demands of the people and the protesting groups can be addressed through the elected body itself,” the statement read.

Expressing disagreement with the press statement issued by the Office of the President announcing the dissolution, the parties accused the government of bypassing parliament in an unconstitutional manner, forming a government and dissolving the House through the streets instead of the legislature.

They said steps that undermine democracy—won through long struggles and sacrifices of the Nepali people—and contradicting the federal democratic republican constitution promulgated by the Constituent Assembly, cannot be accepted at any cost.

The eight parties also argued that the reported dissolution of the House of Representatives violates Article 76 (7) of the Constitution of Nepal, the precedents and principles set by the Supreme Court and Nepal’s constitutional traditions.

President Ram Chandra Paudel, late Friday evening, appointed former Chief Justice Sushila Karki. Karki later recommended to the President to dissolve the parliament.