The ruling Nepali Congress and CPN-UML have begun internal discussions to remove Deputy Speaker Indira Rana Magar from her position.
A meeting of Nepali Congress office-bearers and former office-bearers was held at the residence of party President Sher Bahadur Deuba in Budhanilkantha on Tuesday morning starting at 9 a.m. According to a party leader, the meeting focused on the issue of removing the deputy speaker.
The NC has also instructed its lawmakers to be present at the parliamentary party office in Singha Durbar from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
“A parliamentary party meeting has not been called, but lawmakers have been asked to be present at the parliamentary party office from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today,” an NC lawmaker said. “It could be for collecting signatures, and it’s understood to be related to removing the deputy speaker.”
According to the lawmaker, discussions on removing the deputy speaker took place on Monday between the chief whips of NC and UML at the NC parliamentary party office. On Monday evening, top leaders of both parties, including Prime Minister and UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and NC President Deuba, also discussed the issue at Baluwatar.
The UML has also held internal discussions on removing the deputy speaker and has called an emergency parliamentary party meeting for Tuesday.
“Party staff informed us that a parliamentary party meeting has been called, but the agenda was mentioned. I’m currently in Palpa,” UML lawmaker Thakur Gaire told Setopati.
Another UML lawmaker said that they had already reached the parliamentary party office, adding that lawmakers were asked to be present at the parliamentary party office from 10 a.m. onward.
Prime Minister and UML Chairman Oli is also holding discussions with his party’s lawmakers on Tuesday.
The NC and UML are preparing to remove deputy speaker Rana Magar by raising questions about her conduct, aiming to secure a two-thirds majority to oust her.
Rana Magar was dragged into controversy earlier when a letter she wrote to the United States Embassy requesting a rescheduling of a visa interview was made public. Speaking in the House of Representatives, several NC and UML lawmakers called for her resignation on moral grounds at the time.
A complaint against the deputy speaker was also filed with the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the House of Representatives. Exactly one year after the complaint, the NC and UML are now discussing her removal.
In the House of Representatives, the NC and UML alone do not have the two-thirds majority required to remove the deputy speaker. They are engaging in discussions to secure the support of the opposition CPN (Unified Socialist), which has 10 lawmakers.
The deputy speaker is a member of the Constitutional Council, which currently has six members equally divided between the ruling and opposition parties. This balance has stalled constitutional appointments, including the chief election commissioner.
The NC has been staking a claim to the deputy speaker’s position. NC leaders said that they will take the post in exchange for leaving the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee to the UML.
Deputy Speaker Rana Magar is a lawmaker from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). She was elected deputy speaker when the RSP, CPN (Maoist Center), UML, and other parties were part of the government.
Removing the deputy speaker requires a two-thirds majority, or 184 votes, in the 275-member House of Representatives. The combined votes of NC, UML, Janata Samajwadi Party, and Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP) fall short of this threshold. They are, therefore, seeking support from the Unified Socialist, which has not yet decided on the matter.
“We have not had discussions on this issue with anybody, and the ruling coalition doesn’t need us for a two-thirds majority,” Unified Socialist spokesperson Prakash Jwala said.
In the House of Representatives, the NC has 88 lawmakers, UML has 78, Janata Samajwadi Party has 7, and LSP has 4. The government also has the support of Janamat Party, which has 6 lawmakers.
