DistantNews
Support us
🇳🇵 Nepal /Elections & Politics

Major parties walk out of Nepal constitution review taskforce

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • Several major political parties have withdrawn from a government taskforce tasked with drafting a discussion paper on constitutional amendments.
  • The parties cited concerns over the taskforce's intent and operational jurisdiction, handing over a dissenting memorandum.
  • The withdrawal has raised anxieties about the future of Nepal's constitutional consensus, with a key opposition leader criticizing the government's approach.

A government taskforce established to draft a discussion paper on constitutional amendments has been thrown into political disarray after four influential parties formally withdrew their participation. Representatives from the Nepali Communist Party (NCP), Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP), Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP), and Rastriya Janamorcha announced their dissociation on Monday, submitting a six-point memorandum detailing their concerns.

You cannot approach a solemn exercise like amending the national constitution in a flippant or casual manner. The taskforce appears to have picked up the constitution like a small booklet, whimsically deciding to throw out this section or strike down that clause.

— Gagan Kumar ThapaThe Nepali Congress President criticized the government's approach to constitutional amendments during a political address.

The parties expressed serious reservations about the taskforce's intent and its scope of work. Their departure comes as the taskforce was nearing its 100-day deadline, intensifying anxieties within the capital about the stability of Nepal's fragile constitutional consensus. The dispute has already spilled into the public sphere, with Nepali Congress President Gagan Kumar Thapa launching a sharp critique of the government's methodology.

Thapa described the government's approach to amending the constitution as "immature and reckless," warning against treating the solemn exercise of constitutional amendment with a "flippant or casual manner." He emphasized that the 2015 constitution is a hard-won document resulting from historic struggles by various communities and should not be reduced to a "playground for populist whims."

While the constitution is undeniably a dynamic, living document that can be reviewed and amended, it must never be reduced to a playground for populist whims.

— Gagan Kumar ThapaThe Nepali Congress President emphasized the importance of respecting the constitution's origins and integrity.

Following Thapa's remarks, the four dissenting parties formalized their protest, demanding the immediate cessation of the current discussion-paper process. They called for a commitment to protect the constitution's preamble and foundational principles, insisting that any proposed amendments must stem from an all-party consensus. The memorandum was signed by Dev Gurung (NCP), Laxman Lal Karna (LSP), Surendra Jha (JSP), and Manoj Bhatt (Rastriya Janamorcha).

If the government is genuinely serious about constitutional reforms, it must first scrap this flawed taskforce process. Secondly, there

— Joint StatementThe dissenting parties outlined their demands in a joint statement.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog