Almost all broadsheet dailies published in Kathmandu on Wednesday have given priority to the row between the Nepali Congress and the Left Alliance over the formation of the National Assembly. Other political, economic and social issues have also made it to the front pages of the dailies.
Important
Will Congress get naught in the National Assembly?
The Nepali Congress and the Left Alliance are engaged in a bitter row over how the National Assembly is to be elected. While the Nepali Congress insists that the ‘single-transferable-vote’ system be adopted to elect the upper House, the Left wants a majoritarian system. Naya Patrika, Republica and Nagarik have published projections on the number of seats each party is likely to win under both scenarios. Naya Patrika says that if a majoritarian system is adopted, the Left Alliance is likely bag 48 of the 56 seats up for grabs. Under the transferable vote system, however, the Left will be limited to 38 seats.
Kantipur says that the Nepali Congress believes that under the transferable vote system, it can secure 9-14 seats in the upper House. The Left believes that the Congress can be limited to naught by adopting the majoritarian system. The same paper says that experts have urged political parties to choose the most inclusive system. It also reports that the government has urged the President to approve the National Assembly Election Ordinance it sent to her office before the parliamentary elections.
The Kathmandu Post, meanwhile, reports that Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhee Prasad Yadav has urged political parties to reach a consensus on contentious issues at the earliest so that constitutional bodies become active.
Ignored
Nepali student found dead in Dhaka
The Himalayan Times reports that a Nepali student pursuing dental education at Pioneer Dental College and Hospital in Dhaka has been found dead. She is believed to have committed suicide. Binisha Shah (20) was found hanging from a ceiling fan on Tuesday afternoon, the paper reports. The paper quotes local media to say that Shah had missed the college deadline to clear her dues and college employees had interrogated her on this.
3,000 officials required for provincial secretariats
The Kathmandu Post reports that more than 3,000 officials are required to man the provincial secretaries in the seven provinces. The paper reports that a detailed plan tabled by the Ministry of General Administration in the Cabinet two months ago recommends that a secretary lead the bureaucracy in the provinces. Officials say that the government has not approved the plan and this has delayed the formation of provincial bureaucracies.
Interesting
CIAA gets most number of complaints on Education
Nepal’s anti-corruption watchdog CIAA receives the most number of complaints from the education sector, the constitutional body’s annual report shows, says Karobar. The paper says that a total of 3,974 complaints were received from the education sector in the last Fiscal. Second on the list was matters related to local development. Most cases of corruption are related to forgery of education-related certificates, says the office.
