Kathmandu, Nepal, February 21, 2023: Just five days are left to meet the February 25 deadline to file nomination paper to contest the presidential election. However, no clear picture has come out yet about to be elected head of state.
Political parties represent in the parliament, regardless of ruling alliance or oppositions have intensified their meetings and sittings to find the candidate for the president but these all have turned vain, thanks to the indecision of the parties.
The largest and second largest parties in the parliament- the Nepali Congress and the CPN UML, have already, have already decided to field their candidates for the post of president with the hope of getting support from the third largest party- CPN Maoist Center.
However, the Maoist Center, which is also the head of the incumbent government formed in the backing of six parties including the UML, has still been playing dual card in-between of the two largest parties.
The Nepali Congress seems optimistic to win the presidential race in the support of the Maoist Center though there have been no clear indications about whom it will support as the new head of state.
One after another decision of the Maoist Center including statement of its chairman and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to seek national consensus while electing the new president, is believed by the Nepali Congress that the Maoist Centre would ultimately support its candidate.
It is also claimed that the Nepali Congress has proposed Maoist Chairman Dahal to continue as prime minister for a full five-year term if it support its candidate for President. Responding to the call of the Nepali Congress, the Maoist Center has also assured the Nepali Congress to vote its candidate for the post of president.
An office bearers’ meeting of the ruling Maoist on Monday evening also decided to seek national consensus on the upcoming presidential polls scheduled for March 9. The meeting has also entrusted party chairman Dahal to make the final decision regarding the electing of new president.
Meanwhile, the CPN UML has also been waiting the Maoist Centre’s support to elect its candidate as the new president. The UML has repeatedly been claiming that the Maoist Center has to support its candidate to the post of president as per the previous deal reached with the party while electing Dahal as prime minister. However, the Maoist Center has a claim that no deal was made with the UML to elect its candidate as the president.
With the prospect of getting chance to get the presidential post, the Nepali Congress leaders have been mulling over the candidates of the president. Beside senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel and former general secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula, the name of party President Sher Bahadur Deuba is also forwarded for the candidate of the future president.
The Election Commission (EC) has already fixed March 9 and March 17 as the dates for holding the elections of the president and vice-president respectively as President Bidhya Devi Bhandari's five-year term ends on March12 whereas Vice-President Nanda Bahadur Pun's tenure ends on March 17.
The constitutional has made a provision of Electorate College comprising members of the federal parliament and provincial assemblies to elect the new president and vice president. The voting weightage of a member of the federal parliament is 79 and provincial member is 48.
With the provision, the total weightage of the federal parliament is 26,228 and that of the provincial members is 26,400. As the total weightage is 52,628, the winner needs to secure more than 50 per cent of the valid votes cast.
