Former ANNFSU president Bishwakanta Mainali sparked a debate on the issue of 70-year age limit within the CPN-UML.
Speaking at the inaugural session of ANNFSU’s 24th national convention on June 8, Mainali said that he retired from active UML politics due to the 70-year age limit. The provision, however, is currently inactive in the party’s statute.
After Mainali brought up the issue of age limit, UML Chairman and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli remarked that the 70-year cap had already "failed."
This has fueled discussions within the UML, with leaders and cadres voicing their opinions.
“Bishwakanta ji mentioned earlier… he’s gotten a bit older. By the way, he brought up the 70-year age issue. The 70-year limit has failed. I’m 74 now. Didn’t the idea of retiring at 70 fail? I’m still going at 74. I can’t reduce my age by four years to retire at 70. It’s not about age but whether health allows you. The main thing is capability,” Oli said at the ANNFSU convention.
Citing China, Oli noted that provisions allowing only two terms as president or party general secretary were removed when Xi Jinping’s continued leadership was deemed necessary.
“China had a rule allowing only two terms for general secretary and president. After Xi’s continuity was deemed necessary, the Chinese Communist Party said neither 70 nor 65 years applies. They had set an age limit of 65. President Xi Jinping is already 72 now. Cyprus’s Communist Party had set 65 but dropped it. Various other parties had set age limits but abandoned them because age isn’t the only factor—many needs arise,” he said.
Following Oli’s claim that the 70-year provision had already failed, UML Senior Vice-chairman Ishwar Pokharel countered it in an interview on Himalaya Television’s Yaksha Prashna.
Talking to journalist Rajendra Baniya, Pokharel said that he supported not only the 70-year age limit but also restricting executive positions to two consecutive terms.
“Our party’s past general convention has done two things regarding leadership. One is, it has set an age limit of 70 years. The other is, it has included a provision allowing no more than two consecutive terms in executive positions,” Pokharel said.
UML had introduced the age limit after its ninth general convention, but the provision was removed during the with the CPN (Maoist Center) on May 17, 2018. The provision was reinstated in the 2021 statute convention. But it was temporarily relaxed in May 2023 only to bring in leaders like Mukunda Neupane from the CPN (Unified Socialist), Pokharel said.
“We relaxed the age limit temporarily because it would have hindered the return of comrades from the Unified Socialist. They joined and are in the central and standing committees. But it was an interim arrangement,” Pokharel clarified.
He added that the upcoming statute convention in September will decide whether to endorse the currently inactive provision.
“We had decided following long discussions that no one should continue in executive roles after two consecutive terms. I am in favor of continuing the provision,” he said, clarifying that his stance wasn’t about any particular individual.
Oli, 74, and Pokharel, 73, both exceed the age limit.
“I’m not talking about who fits where. I’m saying we must stick to the principles that we based the provision on,” he clarified.
The UML’s ninth general convention had introduced a provision barring more than two consecutive terms in executive roles. The 2021 statute convention excluded the provision, while retaining the 70-year age limit.
At a time when there’s growing criticism within the UML alleging the statute convention’s decision was rendered inactive by the secretariat meeting, party leaders have begun speaking out on the issue.
