SCHEDULE TO HOLD 17TH ROUND VOTE FOR PM FRIDAY

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 19 Nov.: Parliament is scheduled to hold the 17th round vote to elect a prime minister Friday afternoon after Caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal resigned 30 June on Maoist pressure.
NC Vice-president Ram Chandra Paudel is the sole candidate in the race after Maoist Chairman Prachanda withdrew from the contest after the fourth round vote.
Paudel hasn’t garnered the 301 majority vote to ensure his election.
Friday’s vote will also be inconclusive if the election is conducted with Maoists and UML boycotting the legislative exercise.
The 17th vote was not held earlier amid differences between parties on interpretation of a supreme court division bench directive asking Speaker Subash Nemwang to consider alternatives to the staggered vote.
NC has asked Nemwang to declare Paudel elected unopposed as Maoists and UML demanded amendment in parliamentary procedures to adopt the new process for election.
Parliament’s business advisory committee meets Friday at 12.30 the afternoon again Friday to discuss differences between parties on the
vote and budget presentation.
Thursday’s meeting was inconclusive to adopt procedures for budget present and the vote.
The committee will try to iron out differences Friday for budget presentation and election of the government chief.
Government is pushing budget presentation for the remaining eight months of the current fiscal year 2010/11 through ordinance.
Finance Minister Surendra Pandey s also presenting a Rs 335 billion budget Friday as PM Nepal prepares to fly for a tiger conservation conference in St. Petersburg beginning Sunday.
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UNMIN SAYS PARTICIPATION IN MAOIST PLENUM BY FORMER COMBATANTS AGAINST PEACE AGREEMENT

Kathmandu, 19 Nov.: UNMN Chief Karin Landgren Thursday wrote to Chairman Prachanda saying participation of Maoist combatants in the party plenum beginning is Gorkha Sunday will be against the spirit of the 12-point peace agreement between Maoists and then seven parliamentary parties.
She asked the main opposition to intervene to stop their participation amid strong public opposition by NC and other parties.
Landgren also asked Maoists to ensure the 12-point New Delhi accord is implemented.
NA and its party leaders said combatants are moving in and out of 28 camps and cantonments under UNMIN watch openly engaging in politics even while 19,000 fighters are being funded by the government and five EU donors.
Maoist 16-member standing committee is meeting Friday
morning to adopt a party position on the issue following UNMIN intervention.
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