Constitutional amendment bill fails in Nepal

A much-touted constitutional amendment bill was rejected by Nepal’s Parliament during voting on Monday, leaving Madhes-based parties dismayed.

The bill required 395 votes to be approved with a two-thirds majority in the 592-member House but it fell 48 votes short of the magic number. The bill to amend the country’s new statute to make it more Madhes-friendly had been registered in Parliament on April 5.

Speaker Onsari Gharti announced the rejection of the bill after the voting. Of the total of 592 lawmakers, 553 were present during the voting.

The main opposition CPNUML voted against the bill. The fourth largest party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal, too was divided over the bill and many of its members did not back it.

The Madhes-based parties have opposed the Constitution since it was promulgated in September 2015.

The amendment was aimed at accommodating the voice of Madhes-based parties and widening the acceptability of the Constitution by making it more inclusive. It was also meant to address several demands of the people living in the Madhes region.

With the rejection, it is unclear if the demands of Madhes-based parties to delineate electoral constituencies on the basis of population and geography, to ensure their representations in provincial and federal assemblies, will be addressed. HTC