The number of vacancies in the Constitutional Commission has reached 13, 6 commissions are leaderless
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With Chief Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapalia leaving on Friday after completing his 6-year term, the Election Commission has become leaderless. One post of Election Commissioner has also been vacant for two years. With the completion of Thapaliya's tenure, the number of vacancies in constitutional commissions has increased to 13.
In the Election Commission, Ram Prasad Bhandari, Janaki Kumari Tuladhar and Sagunshamsher Jabara are currently commissioners. Bhandari and Tuladhar were appointed commissioners without a parliamentary hearing when the House of Representatives was dissolved in 2077 and Jabara in 2078. After the KP Sharma Oli-led government amended the law and appointed them, the petition filed in the Supreme Court is under consideration. Another Election Commissioner Ishwari Prasad Paudel left in February 2079 and no new appointment has been made in his place.
Thapalia was recommended as the Chief Election Commissioner by the Constitutional Council while he was still serving as the Secretary of the Government of Nepal. There was a parliamentary hearing process on his appointment. Thapalia was appointed on 6 Baisakh 2076. Thapalia conducted elections at the House of Representatives, Provincial Assembly, and local level during his 6-year tenure. President, Vice President and National Assembly member elections and various by-elections were also held during his time.
Thapalia has prepared a draft of the Election Management Bill and the Bill of Amendment of the Political Party Act by integrating the various laws related to the election and submitted it to the government. Thapalia says that if the draft is given the form of an Act and implemented, many positive changes will come. "The proposed bill has tried to eliminate various distortions and anomalies seen in elections and politics," he said.
Commission submitted the draft of the Election Management Bill to the government in June 2080. But the government has not yet taken it to the parliament. Thapalia has submitted the draft of the law amendment bill on political parties to the government on March 29.
Bishnumaya Ojha, who was appointed as a member of the Inclusion Commission along with Thapalia in 2076, has also expired. Now 13 posts including 6 chairpersons are vacant in various constitutional bodies. National Natural Resources and Finance Commission Chairman Balanand Paudel, Tharu Commission Chairman Bishnu Prasad Chaudhary, Madhesi Commission Vijay Kumar Dutt and Muslim Commission Chairman Samim Mian Ansari left after completing their tenure last month. Before that, the position of chairman and two members of the National Inclusion Commission was vacant. One member is already vacant in the Women's Commission, Natural Resources and Finance Commission and Muslim Commission.
The constitution says that the recommendation of appointment for that position should be completed one month before the vacancy in the constitutional body. But the appointment process has not started even after a long time since the post became vacant. The constitutional appointment process has been blocked because the equation is not easy for the ruling party in the Constitutional Council.
