Kathmandu, Feb 20: Major political parties have placed constitutional amendment high on their agenda ahead of the House of Representatives election being held in the shadow of the Gen Z movement. They argue that changes to the constitution are needed to bring political stability, improve governance, and reduce the cost of the state system.

The Nepali Congress unveiled its election manifesto on Thursday with clear amendment proposals. Party President Gagan Thapa said the party plans to focus on four main areas. One proposal seeks to limit an individual to two terms as prime minister and chief minister, replacing the current provision that allows unlimited tenures.

Congress also wants to reduce the size of governments. At present, the federal cabinet can have up to 25 members, while provincial cabinets can reach up to 20 percent of the respective provincial assembly. The party proposes fixing the federal government at 16 ministries and provincial governments at six ministries. Thapa said ministries should not be expanded simply to manage coalition politics.

The constitution promulgated in 2015 has now completed ten years. It itself envisioned a review after a decade, and parties have cited this as grounds to push amendment debates.

The CPN UML also speaks of revising the constitution through national consensus, but its manifesto does not spell out specific amendment agendas. Instead, the party has focused on legal reforms to make the election system cleaner and less expensive, and to strengthen the independence of the judiciary and investigative bodies.

In the dissolved House, Congress was the largest party and UML the second largest. The two had reached a 7-point deal on June 30, 2024, to form a joint government, which included a commitment to review the constitution.

That government, though, took no formal steps toward amendment. After the Gen Z protests in September, the then-prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, resigned. An interim government led by former chief justice Sushila Karki was formed, and the president later announced fresh elections for March 5.

In their new manifestos for the upcoming polls, both Congress and UML have again repeated their commitment to a constitutional amendment.

NCP and RSP Show Convergence

The Nepal Communist Party and the Rastriya Swatantra Party have also strongly raised the amendment issue, and their agendas appear closer to each other. The NCP has called for changes in the governance system and the election model. It proposes reducing the federal cabinet from 25 members, restructuring provincial governance, and granting more powers to provincial and local governments through constitutional changes.

The party argues that in the 35 years since the restoration of multiparty democracy, political and policy instability have prevented major socio-economic progress.

It says the current election system makes it difficult for a single party to secure a majority and govern for five years, and therefore amendment is needed to ensure political stability in line with public aspirations.

The NCP manifesto lists eight key proposals. These include revising the governance system to maintain checks and balances, simplifying the expensive election model, forming a smaller expert-based cabinet, and ensuring that all federalism-related laws are enacted within a year of the new House.

It also proposes mobilizing 60 percent of the federal budget through provincial and local governments to implement fundamental rights such as education, health, housing, drinking water, and food security. Other points include restructuring constitutional commissions and making the National Assembly more representative of marginalized groups and distinguished contributors.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has echoed several of these themes. It has put forward four main amendment agendas and pledged to prepare a formal discussion paper within three months of leading the government to build national consensus. The party has also promised dialogue on reforming the provincial structure, though it has not clearly outlined what model it prefers.

Madhesh-based parties also in favor

Since its promulgation, Nepal’s constitution has been amended twice. The first amendment in January 2016 addressed Madhesh protests and constituency demarcation by strengthening inclusive representation and making population the primary basis for electoral constituencies. The second amendment in June 2020 updated the national map to include Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani.

Madhesh-centred parties continue to call for further changes so that all communities feel ownership of the constitution. The Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal, led by Upendra Yadav, has proposed forming a high-level constitutional review commission made up of experts. Based on its recommendations, the party says, the constitution should be amended or even rewritten if necessary.

Even so, the party has not specified which constitutional provisions it wants changed. For now, its roadmap focuses on forming the review body and moving forward based on its findings.

There you go, tightened to around 750 words and cleaned up enough that your copy desk will not throw things.

People’s News Monitoring Service

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