An ordinance meant to speed up constitutional appointments has changed little

Nepal's Constitutional Council remains stalled despite a new ordinance designed to expedite appointments. The council has not convened since May 5, leaving key positions in constitutional bodies vacant for months. This continued inaction forces several commissions to operate with acting leadership, raising concerns about their effectiveness.

The ordinance, authenticated by President Ramchandra Paudel, aimed to simplify decision-making by allowing meetings with at least four members and decisions by a majority. It was intended to facilitate meetings without opposition support and speed up appointments. However, the council's inactivity persists, with at least 19 positions vacant across various commissions, including the Election Commission, National Natural Resources and Fiscal Commission, and several inclusion commissions.

Critics, including opposition parties, constitutional experts, and civil society groups, argue that the ordinance weakens consensus-based appointments and centralizes power within the executive. Despite these concerns and the significant vacancies, some officials maintain that the lack of full leadership has not impacted performance. Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari asserted that the successful conduct of the March 5 House of Representatives election demonstrated that vacancies did not hamper the commission's work.

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We demonstrated that the vacancies did not hamper our work by successfully conducting the March 5 election. In fact, the Election Commission does not require more than three