Chaos in Nepal Parl as deadline for new constitution nears

Nepal's opposition parties led by the Maoists today stalled the parliament just hours before a midnight deadline to agree on a new constitution, demanding consensus on key issues before promulgating it.
Opposition lawmakers kept on chanting slogans and rushed to the well of the Constituent Assembly even as Chairman Subas Nembang was addressing the meeting.
The UCPN (Maoist)-led alliance of 19 parties has been obstructing the Constituent Assembly (CA) meet since Monday to prevent the process of forming a Questionnaire Committee for resolving the sticky issues of Constitution through a vote.
Opposition parties' key demands include ethnic identity- based federal structure.

Maoist supremo Prachanda, Vice-chairman Baburam Bhattarai and Madhesi Peoples Rights Forum Nepal president Upendra Yadav and other opposition leaders shouted anti-government slogans and encircled the rostrum as soon as the meeting started.
Other lawmakers belonging to Joint Madhesi Front and fringe parties also joined the Maoists in obstructing the CA meeting, demanding the drafting of the Constitution through consensus rather than through voting.

After disruptions and chaos reigned in the assembly for the better part of the day, top leaders of four major political forces - Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, UCPN-Maoist and Madhesi Front-- informally held a meeting inside the Constituent Assembly building.

In the presence of the Chairman, they sat together to discuss the future course of the Constituent Assembly, and how to move ahead as today's midnight deadline was ending without delivering the statute.
Security has been beefed up and police was put on alert, anticipating trouble both inside parliament and on the streets because of planned protests by the opposition parties. More than 1,500 armed policemen have been deployed in and around the Parliament building to prevent any untoward incident.
The ruling and opposition alliances are sharply divided on key issues of the Constitution drafting including federal structure and forms of governance.

A brawl in the Constituent Assembly on Tuesday had left 14 people, including two senior lawmakers, injured.
It is almost certain that tonight's deadline will pass without the promulgation of the Constitution despite a commitment made in this regard by the parties last year.
The first CA -- elected for a two-year term -- failed to draft the Constitution after missing several deadlines and was dissolved.
Nepali Congress and CPN-UML command more than two-thirds majority in the 601-member Constituent Assembly which is required for the drafting of the Constitution. However, the opposition alliance is demanding promulgation of the Constitution through consensus.