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By Our Reporter

Amendment to the constitution was portrayed as the main agenda behind the formation of the present coalition government of the CPN (UML) and the Nepali Congress in July this year. Then, both NC and UML leaders claimed that they decided to form a coalition government of the two major parties to maintain political stability by amending the constitution.

They blamed the electoral system, particularly the proportional representation system, as the key cause of the political instability.

However, almost five months after the formation of the KP Oli-led government of the UML and NC, the two parties have not initiated any process to amend the constitution. Even the issue of constitution amendment has not been formally discussed by the NC and UML themselves while the CPN (Maoist Centre) is against the idea of constitution amendment.

However, on an individual level, both NC and UML leaders have not stopped talking about the constitution amendment.

CPN-UML general secretary Shankar Pokharel this week said that the process of constitution amendment would begin after the National Assembly election in March next year. Pokharel claimed that as the NC and UML do not enjoy a two-thirds majority required to amend the statute in both Houses, they were waiting for the NA poll. In March 2025,  the term of the 19 sitting lawmakers of the NA will expire and NC and UML want to win all of the seats to ensure a two-thirds majority in the joint Houses.

Constitutionally, only a two-thirds majority in the federal parliament could amend the constitution.

Likewise, Nepali Congress leader and Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak claimed that the government would initiate the process to amend the constitution and the amendment would be done only in consensus of all parties. 

Even Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba has been reiterating the need for constitution amendment. But no concrete step has been taken to that direction. Even the public wants an immediate amendment to constitution to terminate the provision of provinces, but the parties lack the guts to correct the faulty federal structures even if they amend the constitution.  

It seems, Oli and even Deuba, if the latter manages to lead the election government, will complete their term only talking about constitution amendment without making any amendments.