THAPA

GANESH THAPA CONTESTING ANFA ELECTIONS

Kathmandu, 13 Aug.: Incumbent President of All Nepal Football

Association (ANFA) is contesting election for The national governing

body of soccer.

He has started a campaign to collect support.

Thapa had led by the body since 1994.

ANFA executive committee meets 22 August to fix election date.

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CAPITAL MORNING TEMPERATURE 19 DEGREES CELSIUS

Kathmandu, 13 Aug.: Capital’s morning temperature Tuesday was 19 degrees elsius.

Temperature is expected to rise to 26 degrees Celsius in the day.

Rainfall Monday was 41.3mm.

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CPN BOTTOMLINE FOR TALKS

Kathmandu, 13 Aug.: CPN-Maoist has put forth consensus on the contents of the new constitution as its bottom line for participation in the upcoming Constituent Assembly (CA) election. The party stated that it would participate in the election only after a consensus is reached on the contents of the new constitution, Republica writes.. However, the Baidya Maoists will not participate in elections on November 19. "The way will open if we reach consensus on the contents of the new constitution," Netra Bikram Chand, party secretary, told Republica. He added that the face of new Nepal should be framed in a consensus of the political parties and then only could the drafting of a new constitution be ensured. "What will be the place of women, Dalits, Karnali, the Janajati, the poor, workers and peasants in the new constitution? These should be ensured before holding elections," added Chand. "We want to discuss at any talks the contents of the new constitution." Similarly, the CPM-Maoist also raised the issue of unequal treaties with India. "The unequal treaties should be address in the new constitution," added Chand, arguing that Nepal is suffering under unequal treaties with India. The Baidya-led Maoist party has been demanding the scrapping of treaties with India including the treaty of 1950, arguing that it is unequal and harmful for Nepal. The Maoist leader also put forth the issue of postponing the scheduled election date of November 19. He said that his party will likewise raise the issue of dissolution of the present government. The CPN-Maoist has forwarded an 18-point demand to the HLPC, the high level political committee, for talks.

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BIG FOUR POSITION ON TALKS WITH OPPOSITION

Kathmandu, 13 Aug : A meeting of the High Level Political Committee (HLPC) on Monday has set out its bottom line with regard to responding to the demands of the agitating political parties during separate talks scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, THira Lal Bhusal writes in Republica. . Top leaders from constituent parties in the HLPC -- UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML and United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) -- at a meeting on Monday, agreed on a common list of issues that they can address and demands that they can´t concede. The HLPC constituent parties have decided to hold talks with Upendra Yadav-led Madhesi People´s Rights Forum and Ashok Rai-headed Federal Socialist Party Nepal on Tuesday and with the Mohan Baidya-led CPN-Maoist on Wednesday. The HLPC leaders claimed that negotiations in the next two days will be decisive and final. “There are around five things that we can do right now to address the concerns of the agitating political parties and there are around four issues that we can´t do anything about at present,” UCPN (Maoist) leader Narayankaji Shrestha told Republica. HLPC can do: - Reconstitute HLPC to include Baidya, Upendra - Agree to allow some more days for voter registration - Inrease number of seats under PR electoral system - Appoint new ministers upon the dissident parties´ recommendation - Convene all-party/roundtable meeting HLPC can´t do: - Change government - Postpone election date (Nov 19) - Scrap 25-point ordinance or 11-point political agreement - Change number of constituencies or delineations Both Shrestha and NC leader Ram Sharan Mahat said that the HLPC can´t agree to the agitating parties´ demand for a change of government and postponement of the election scheduled for November 19. They also said the HLPC wouldn´t accept the demand to scrap the 25-point ordinance issued by the president to remove constitutional difficulties or the 11-point political agreement. The HLPC parties had reached a political deal on finalizing the two political documents to pave the way for formation of the present election government under the leadership of the chief justice. Elucidating what they can do, Shrestha said the HLPC can be reconstituted and Mohan Baidya and Upendra Yadav can be accommodated in the political body. “We can agree on allowing some days more for voter registration and we can increase the number of seats to be allocated under the proportional representation electoral system,” said Shrestha. “Similarly, some ministers can be appointed in the present government as per the recommendations of the agitating parties, if they so wish.” According to Shrestha, the HLPC is also ready to convene an all-party meeting or a roundtable conference, as demanded by the dissident groups, to discuss major political issues. He further said that there can be no change in the number of electoral constituencies as demanded by Madhes-based parties “because the parties can´t go against a recommendation of the constitutional commission.” The leaders from the major political parties, however, aren´t optimistic about the CPN-Maoist joining the election process. Leaders from the NC and CPN-UML insisted on holding some rounds of formal talks with the CPN-Maoist even as UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had been claiming that Baidya´s party wouldn´t participate in the coming polls. Shrestha said that by now even the NC and UML leaders have found it difficult to bring Baidya´s party on board the election process. “They (Baidya´s party) have insisted on defering the November polls but refuse to sign an agreement guaranteeing their participation,” explained Shrestha. According to him, even NC and UML leaders couldn´t insist on further wooing the agitating party as they have failed to make its leaders commit themselves to participation.

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