The Constitutional Council meeting called by Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli on Tuesday has again been adjourned in lack of quorum. The meeting at the PM's residence in Baluwatar has been adjourned in absence of Speaker Agni Sapkota.
The Constitutional Council chaired by the PM includes chief justice (CJ), House speaker and deputy speaker, National Assembly chairman and the main opposition leader.
PM Oli, Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba, CJ Cholendra Shumsher Rana and National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Timalsina were present in the meeting on Tuesday. Absence of Speaker Sapkota meant there was lack of quorum as the post of deputy speaker remains vacant leading to automatic adjournment of meeting.
PM Oli has again called the meeting at five Tuesday evening.
The meeting was also called on Sunday but did not go ahead in absence of Speaker Sapkota, main opposition leader Sher Bahadur Deuba and others.
Sources attribute Sapkota's refusal to attend the meeting to the internal dispute in ruling CPN where Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and others have allied against fellow Chairman and Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli.
They claim that the Constitutional Council meeting remains uncertain until the internal dispute in CPN is resolved as Sapkota is close to Dahal who is unhappy with Oli for convening the meeting amidst escalating internal dispute.
Dahal has accused Oli of trying to move forward allying with the main opposition leader to make constitutional appointments ignoring internal agreements in CPN.
Almost four dozen constitutional positions remain vacant in lack of agreement among different factions in the ruling CPN and main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) to share spoils.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) are without chiefs, and four and two members respectively. Similarly, the Election Commission does not have two commissioners.
The National Women Commission, Dalit Commission and other bodies are also without office-bearers.
