Constitution review mired in political debate as parties fail to agree on scope of amendment
Summary
Political parties remain split over the scope of constitutional amendments, with the government’s secretive task force report drawing criticism from opposition leaders. While most parties support limited administrative reforms, they disagree sharply on whether Nepal should retain its parliamentary system or move toward a directly elected executive and other structural changes.
Key Points
- The government formed a task force to prepare a discussion paper on constitutional amendments, but its report has not been made public, fueling suspicion among opposition parties.
- The report reportedly proposes changes to 245 of the constitution’s 308 articles, far beyond what traditional parties expected.
- Congress, UML, NCP, RSP and other parties remain divided over whether to keep the parliamentary system or adopt a directly elected executive model.
- Experts warn that lack of clarity and secrecy are stalling meaningful public and cross-party debate on constitutional reform.
