21-MEMBER PRACHANDA FRONT HOLDING FIRST MEET WITH PRESIDENT Kathmandu, 16 Aug.: A 21-party front chaired by Maoist boss Chairman Prachanda is holding consultations Thursday with President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav one day after it was launched by ruling coalition and other parties. The font is expected to tell the president it was formed to give an outlet to prolonged constitutional and political crisis. The president and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai are also holding separate discussions Thursday. Nnnn MOCK OPPOSITION POLLS THURDAY Kathmandu, 16 Aug.: Opposition youth and students are holding mock elections in more than 100 constituencies in the Valley and outside to determine the government’s popularity The result will be announced Sunday The vote in being held at 21 booths in the Valley. Voters have been asked to choose between the present government and national consensus government. Nnnn ________________________________________ WORK TO BRING UNDER ’ GREATER CIVILIAN CONTROL’ Kathmandu, 16 Aug.: The Bills Committee of the cabinet has started discussions on the draft of the regulations prepared by the defense ministry to further tighten civilian control of the Army, Republica reports, Kiran Pun writes in Republica.. If passed by the committee, the proposed regulations will authorize the defense ministry to keep a record of army personnel and direct the army on policy and management issues, according to a source familiar with the proposed regulations. In addition, the regulations propose authorizing the ministry to inspect any army unit whenever it deems necessary. "These provisions have been proposed so as to strengthen civilian control of the army and to translate the spirit of the new Army Act in practice," said a senior official at the defense ministry on condition of anonymity. In addition, the draft proposes gradually reducing the role of the army in non-military activities like procurement. “Nowhere in the world is the army involved in the procurement of equipment and logistics. In other countries, the role of the army is strictly confined to military activities," said the government official. At the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Maoist ministers Post Bahadur Bogati and Dinanath Sharma had opined that the regulations should have more such provisions that ensure people´s supremacy over the army. As the ministers suggested that the draft also incorporate agreements between the major parties on integration of Maoist combatants, the committee has also formed a taskforce to carry out the task. Last November, the major political parties had agreed to relax certain conditions of the army, including those relating to age, education and marital status for integration of Maoist combatants. nnnn ________________________________________ WE ARE ORIGINAL MAOISTS SAY CPM MAOIST Kathmandu, 16 Aug.: The newly formed CPN-Maoist has claimed that more than 60 percent of "cream leaders and party cadres of the people´s war" have joined them and that they are the original Maoist party, Kiran Pun writes in Republica. . The claim was made during the party´s politburo meeting at the party headquarters in Buddhanagar on Wednesday. The meeting, which came close on the heels of organization formation campaign, reached such conclusion after reportings of the bureau in-charges and review of the party´s activities across the country. "We formed the party committees across the country and also reviewed the conditions and possibilities of the party organizations. The meeting concluded that more than 65 percent of party cadres involved in the people´s war had joined our party," said Pampha Bhusal, spokesperson of the party. The meeting also concluded that the new party was stronger as the party organizational structure moved down from state, district and cell committees in comparison to their mother party UCPN (Maoist) from which they split earlier this year. The bureau in-charges presented reports on organizational conditions and possibilities comparing them with Pushpa Kamal Dahal led UCPN (Maoist). Maoists have formed eight bureaus including five based on geographical location. "The meeting concluded that our party is stronger as we move down to lower committees of the party. It means we represent the sprit and emotion of the grass root level common people," said Narayan Sharma, bureau in-charge of the party´s sister wings. Another leader Kul Prasad KC said party cadres were exited and hopeful. "It is proof that the original Maoists are in our party," said KC, who is in-charge of Far-western bureau. "The strength of our committees increase as we go down from the central level to state, district and cell committees. In the lower level committees, Dahal´s Maoist is in minority. We are in majority." He claimed that the party led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal was in majority in the centre due to the new comers. But with newcomer, the parties did have not have hold in the grass root levels. Similarly, the meeting also concluded there were two main reason for the growing attraction to the new party. The first reason was centre to state and district level leaders were comparatively clean, revolutionary and they had contributed more in the people´s war than UCPN (Maoist) leaders. The second reason was that the party was still carrying forward the agendas during the people´s war which UCPN (Maoist) chairman Dahal abandonned in the party and also in the constituent assembly. The newly formed party CPN-Maoist was raising the issues of national sovereignty, single identity based federalism and issue of inclusive and full proportional electoral system. "We have been carrying forward the agendas that the Maoists had rised during the people´s war. But Dahal has abandoned them. Therefore, core cadres during the war have committed themselves to our party," said Sharma. Almost all chiefs of sister wings had joined the new party. The meeting also concluded that Tharuwan, Newa, Magarat states committee were stronger among the 13 state committees. Nnnn ________________________________________ ________________________________________