HLPC reaches six -point deal with FDF

KIRAN PUN
Agrees to 585-member CA
KATHMANDU, Aug 16: After several rounds of formal and informal negotiations, the High Level Political Committee (HLPC) on Thursday reached a six-point agreement with the agitating Federal Democratic Front (FDF) that comprises eight various parties including the Upendra Yadav-led Madhesi People"s Rights Forum-Nepal (MPRF-N).
The two sides reached the agreement during a meeting that continued till late Thursday evening at the HLPC secretariat at New Baneshwor, and it puts pressure on the agitating parties, including the Mohan Baidya-led alliance of 33 agitating political parties and Ashok Rai-led Federal Socialist Party (FSP), to come on board the electoral process.

Talking to media persons after the meeting, Nepali Congress (NC) leader Arjun Narasingh KC said there has been an agreement to create a 585-member CA with a provision for electing 58 percent of the members under the proportional electoral system and 42 percent under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system.

As per the ratio agreed, there will be a total of 335 CA members elected under the PR system and 240 under FPTP.

Likewise, the remaining 10 members will be nominated by the cabinet.

The two sides have also agreed to expand the HLPC to ensure participation of other major parties including MPRF-N, and to urge the Election Commission to allow two weeks for registering voters who have yet to register in the electoral roll. The EC on Thursday gave a one-week window period for voter registration in such a way that it would not affect the election now scheduled for November 19.

However, the final deal between the two sides was yet to be signed when Republica went to press at 11:30 pm.

Earlier, the FDF had forwarded a six-point demand to the HLPC. The demands include dissolution of the HLPC, resignation of Khil Raj Regmi, who heads the poll government, from the post of chief justice, and delineation of the election constituencies on the basis of population figures shown by the latest census of 2011.

Providing additional time for voter registration with photo and biometrics and maintaining intact the 58:42 ratio between the proportional electoral and FPTP systems of the erstwhile CA are part of the six-point demand.
from Republica