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Nepal's new parliament to meet on January 22

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Press Trust of India Kathmandu
Last Updated : Jan 11 2014 | 11:15 PM IST
Nepal's interim government today asked the newly elected parliament to hold its maiden meeting on January 22, ending the month-long political deadlock.
The Constituent Assembly, which was elected in November and will serve as a legislative body, is expected to deliver a new constitution.
Following a discussion with President Ram Baran Yadav, Chairman of the Interim Council of Ministers Khil Raj Regmi has the summoned the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly on January 22, Regmi's press advisor Bimal Gautam said in a press release, ekantipur.Com reported.
There was confusion over who would call the first meeting of the assembly, which has now ended with Regmi taking the honours to call the maiden meet, he said.
Nepal has been facing a constitutional crisis since the 10-year civil war ended in 2006. It deepened in 2012 when the first Constituent Assembly elected in 2008 was dissolved without promulgating the constitution.
The 30 political parties that won seats in the November 19 polls last year were expected to nominate lawmakers under a proportional representation system by December 10.

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The composition of 601-member assembly was delayed after the Maoists alleged fraud in polls and threatened to boycott the parliament. After weeks of negotiations, they last month agreed to participate in the parliament.
The Maoists, who ended their decade-long "People's War" with a peace deal in 2006 and had swept the first post-war elections in 2008, were pushed to the third position in the polls.
The Maoists won just 80 of the 575 seats in the November polls, well behind the Nepali Congress which won 196 and the CPN (UML) which got 175.
Under the PR system, 335 members of the assembly are chosen according to the proportion of votes secured by political parties in the elections. A total of 240 seats were elected under a direct voting system, while the remaining 26 members will be nominated by the government.
A new government is expected to be led by the Nepali Congress, which will nominate the 26 members.

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First Published: Jan 11 2014 | 11:15 PM IST

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