Wednesday, May 31, 2006

40 Seats For Maoists, 25 For Others


It might not be a bad idea to expand the size of the House: 40 seats for the Maoists, and 25 for others, like members of the civil society, the DaMaJaMa leaders, youth leaders like Gagan Thapa. The total size would be 270.

Constituent Assembly: 300 Seats Of Roughly Equal Population

That could also be the size of the constituent assembly. One seat for every 100,000 Nepali.

The Maoists want the House dissolved. The seven party alliance is against the idea. The UML wants the local bodies revived. The Maoists are opposed to that idea. So we have to get creative and seek some middle ground.

And we have to remember, this is a short term thing. The real issue is not the interim government. The real issue is the constituent assembly. Let the eight parties prove themselves to the people, not to each other.

Right now the Maoists are missing at the center and the seven parties are missing at the local levels. All eight parties should be present at both the center and at the local levels. The concept of eight party government has to be applied also at the village, town and district levels for the interim period.

But the real challenge is to (1) fast forward the peace talks, (2) hold elections to a constituent assembly, (3) draw up a new constitution, (4) submit it to a referendum, (5) hold parliamentary elections, (6) hold local elections.

Because the all party governments at the local levels will last longer than the one at the center, it actually is more important that the Maoists do their part for the formation of all party governments at the local levels.





After April 1
After April 2
After April 3

International Crisis Group

Nepal: From People Power to Peace?, Asia Report N°115, 10 May 2006
Nepal’s Crisis: Mobilising International Influence, Asia Briefing N°49, 19 April 2006
Nepal: Electing Chaos, Asia Report N°111, 31 January 2006
Nepal’s New Alliance: The Mainstream Parties and the Maoists, Asia Report N°106, 28 November 2005
Nepal's Maoists: Their Aims, Structure and Strategy, Asia Report N°104, 27 October 2005
Nepal: Beyond Royal Rule, Asia Briefing N°41, 15 September 2005
Towards a Lasting Peace in Nepal: The Constitutional Issues, Asia Report N°99, 15 June 2005
Nepal: Dealing with a Human Rights Crisis, Asia Report N°94, 24 March 2005
Nepal: Responding to the Royal Coup, Asia Briefing N°36, 24 February 2005
Nepal's Royal Coup: Making a Bad Situation Worse, Asia Report N°91, 9 February 2005
Nepal: Dangerous Plans for Village Militias, Asia Briefing N°30, 17 February 2004
Nepal: Back to the Gun, Asia Briefing N°28, 22 October 2003
Nepal: Obstacles to Peace, Asia Report N° 57, 17 June 2003
Nepal Backgrounder: Ceasefire – Soft Landing or Strategic Pause?, Asia Report N°50, 10 April 2003

In The News

Prachanda seeks release of Maoist leaders before talks with PM Outlook (subscription), India
EXCLUSIVE-Joy for father as he meets Nepal's rebel chief Reuters AlertNet, UK an emotional reunion when the guerrilla leader made a rare public appearance ..... "My heart was filled with suffocation due to happiness when I saw him," Dahal, a peasant, told Reuters by phone ..... "I was crying with joy inside my heart but I kept smiling outside," he said....... "First, he greeted me and inquired about my condition," Dahal said. "Then he asked about the family. So it went." ..... Prachanda, 52, is the eldest. The rebel chief is married and has three daughters and a son..... Dahal briefly met Prachanda seven years ago..... Maoists have been organizing public rallies across the country ....... On Monday, Dahal sat on a straw mat with Prachanda and had lentils, boiled rice and goat meat for the dinner and spent the night with him........ "There were many guerrillas carrying arms guarding the site during the rally and through the night. ....... "I was with my son. So why should I be scared," he said, when asked if he was afraid of the rebels.
Prachanda says talks will succeed, demands release of leaders Outlook (subscription), India
Maoists set agenda for 2nd round Daily News & Analysis, India “At the next round of talks, we will discuss the formation of a broad democratic assembly that will replace parliament,” Maoist spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara said..... While hailing the code, lawmakers say the rebels are continuing extortion, attacks and recruitment in violation of the agreement.
Nepal army, rebels trade blame over peace violations Daily Times, Pakistan “The Maoists are ignoring the code of conduct and continue kidnapping civilians, (indulge in) forcible collection of funds and recruitment,” the army said in a statement........ Krishna Bahadur Mahara denied the guerrillas were forcing people to pay and said army patrols and searches continued despite the code. “The government is seriously violating the code,” Mahara said.
Nepal mulls UN peace process role BBC News, UK
Abide by Code of Conduct, Nepal Home Minister tells Maoists Hindu, India
Nepal Maoists get fresh lease of life CNN-IBN, India
Nepal lawmakers welcome truce code of conduct Daily Times, Pakistan
Nepal, Maoists fix code of conduct CNN-IBN, India
Nepal govt, rebels consider UN-monitored ceasefire Daily Times, Pakistan
Nepal govt, rebels may ask UN to monitor truce Mumbai Mirror, India
Nepal's rebel leader makes first public appearance in decade Zee News, India Prachanda told the crowd that 'we will leave no stone unturned to make the current peace talks a success ..... On Friday the rebels plan to hold a mass public meeting in the capital, but Prachanda is not expected to make an appearance ... as many as 200,000 have been displaced inside the impoverished Himalayan nation.
Nepal Maoists announce agenda for next talks round India eNews.com, India
Nepal Maoists announce agenda for next talks round NewKerala.com, India
India neither endorses nor opposes UN role in Nepal Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran
Rebel extortions breach Code of Conduct: MPs Kantipur Online, Nepal
Nepali, Indian Maoists to create mayhem in Bihar Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran At a recently held meeting in Rajgir, a district in the Indian state of Bihar, Nepali and Indian Maoists sat together and chalked out a blueprint to decrease mayhem in the state. After their success in dethroning the Nepalese king, the Maoists have now shifted their focus to Bihar. Elusive Nepali leader Prachanda himself attended the massive rally of ultra Left outfits from Bihar and Nepal to lay down the roadmap for violent action, including attacks on the state's political leadership and government establishments, a leading Indian English daily, the Pioneer, reported here today. They have also threatened to blow up the state's parliament buildings, the secretariat as well as the official residence of the chief minister and 15 out of 30 targeted police stations within a span of two months, beginning May 29. .... The release quoted Prachanda as criticizing Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his policies. He has also appealed for an end to the present Bihar regime patterned after the ouster of the royal Nepali rule....... Inspector General of Police Anil Kumar Sinha expressed his ignorance about any such letter or release received by the police from the Maoists. Sinha also declared that the state government had made fool-proof security arrangements in the state.
Joy for father as he meets Nepal’s rebel chief Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates
Prachanda’s father urges for peace
Nepalnews.com, Nepal
Prachanda in Makawanpur Kantipur Online
Prachanda Appears To Address Public NewsLine Nepal
Prachanda seeks release of Maoist leaders before talks with PM Outlook (subscription)
Prachanda says talks will succeed, demands release of leaderOutlook (subscription)
We are not claiming leading role in interim government: Prachanda
Nepalnews.com, Nepal - May 21, 2006
Prachanda welcomes proclamation
Kantipur Online, Nepal - May 18, 2006
Prachanda asks jailed Maoists to end strike Gulf Times, Qatar - May 18, 2006
King Gyanendra should be ousted: Prachanda NewKerala.com, India - May 20, 2006
Koirala asks Prachanda to allow industries to run smoothly
NewKerala.com, India -May 21, 2006

PM Koirala quits smoking Kantipur Publications The premier's personal doctor Dr. Madhu Ghimire
HoR proclamation on secularism incomplete: Nemwang
Police foil bank robbery in capital; 3 killed in shootout
Trade grows by 24 percent
Prachanda in Makawanpur
Koirala to go to Bangkok for check-up

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