The Secretariat meeting will recommend amendments to the provisions of the statute related to the proportional representation of MPs and the names of candidates to be elected as well as the election of parliamentary party leaders, and the Central Committee will decide on them.
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The National Independent Party has called a secretariat meeting to discuss issues such as the selection of candidates to be elected through the proportional system, amendments to the statute, and more. The secretariat meeting has been called for Saturday after discussions between party president Rabi Lamichhane and senior leader Balendra Shah.
The RSP is preparing to convene a central committee meeting immediately after the secretariat meeting to finalize the list of MPs through the proportional system and amend the provisions related to the election of parliamentary party leaders in the statute. The RSP has won 57 seats through the proportional system. The Election Commission had written a letter to the parties on Thursday to submit the list of MPs through the proportional election system by Sunday.
The time and venue of the secretariat meeting have not been decided, said RSP spokesperson Manish Jha. "As per the instructions of the party president, the secretariat meeting is to be held on Saturday. The time and venue of the meeting will be decided taking into account the health condition of the president," he said. RSP President Lamichhane is on 'bed rest' as advised by the doctor. According to Jha, the secretariat meeting will recommend the names of candidates to be elected through the proportional system.
Before calling the secretariat meeting, there was a discussion between President Lamichhane and senior leader Shah. Senior leader Shah met President Lamichhane at his home on Thursday. The two leaders are continuously discussing the party, informed RSP Joint Spokesperson Pratibha Rawal. She said, "Meetings between the party president and senior leaders are taking place regularly."
The RSP had gone into the election by declaring senior leader Shah as the future prime minister. The RSP won 182 seats in the House of Representatives election. Leaders close to them have said that President Lamichhane and senior leader Shah have met in person and are in conversation over the phone, having won almost two-thirds of the seats in the House of Representatives. Spokesperson Jha said, "President Lamichhane and senior leader Shah have discussed the upcoming process, and informal discussions are taking place between them."
According to the leaders, Lamichhane and Shah had a discussion for about 2 hours on Thursday morning. During that time, the process of selecting the leader of the parliamentary party, the process of forming the government, and the expansion of the Council of Ministers after the government is formed were discussed. The leaders have said that they also discussed issues that are being reported in the public media regarding ministers and other appointments.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is going to amend the provision related to the election of the leader of the parliamentary party in Article 66 of the party statute. Article 66 (8) of the statute provides for the election of the leader of the parliamentary party by the ordinary members of the party. Clause 8 (a) of Article 66 states, ‘Before the federal election, an election shall be held for the election of the leader of the parliamentary party of the House of Representatives among the candidates selected by the party for the federal election through proportional and direct representation. All ordinary members of the party shall be eligible to vote in the election (of the party leader).’
The provision that not only MPs of the RSS but also ordinary members shall be eligible to vote in the election of the leader of the parliamentary party is also being amended because it conflicts with Article 25 of the Political Parties Act, 2073 BS. The Act states, ‘As per the instructions of the party concerned, the members of the parliamentary party of the federal parliament or the provincial assembly shall elect one of their number as the leader of the parliamentary party.’
With the amendment of the statute, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will elect senior leader Shah as the leader of the parliamentary party. After that, President Ram Chandra Poudel will appoint him as the Prime Minister. Since the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has a single majority in the House of Representatives, the President will appoint the leader of that party as the Prime Minister. Article 76 (1) of the Constitution states that ‘the President shall appoint the leader of the parliamentary party that has the majority in the House of Representatives as the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers shall be formed under his chairmanship.’
