KATHMANDU: Nepal's two ruling parties today decided to withdraw an impeachment motion filed against the country's first woman Chief Justice Sushila Karki, a move that may soon end the tussle between the executive and judiciary.
The parties -- Nepali Congress and CPN (Maoist Centre) took the decision during a meeting with the main opposition CPN-UML in Singha Durbar, Kathmandu Post reported.
Lawmakers of the two parties had registered an impeachment motion against Karki, 64, at the Parliament Secretariat on April 30.
An alliance of opposition parties had been obstructing the House for the past few days to protest the government’s decision of increasing the number of local federal units and demanding withdrawal of the impeachment motion.
With the agreement among there big parties, the main opposition UML has decided to let the House proceed with its business from today which has assured that the budget will be announced on May 29 as provisioned by the Constitution.
"The impeachment motion registered against CJ Karki will be withdrawn by this evening, if not, by Sunday morning,"
UML's Parliamentary Party leader Subash Nembang quoted Prime Minister Prachanda as saying.
Prachanda said that the process to withdraw the impeachment motion has already been moved ahead.
Nembang said that Parliamentary Committee would be formed today itself on the basis of an understanding reached among the three parties. Chief whips of all the three parties have been entrusted with the task.
The government on May 18 had decided to accept the Tharuhat and Madhes protests as political movements and withdraw all the cases filed against those who were involved, as a part of its bid to ensure agitating forces’ participation in polls scheduled for June 14 and bring them on board the constitution implementation process.
Prachanda also told the main opposition that the government would not take the Constitution amendment process ahead prior to the second phase of local level elections.
The leaders of three major political parties did not discuss on forming the national consensus government though President Bidya Devi Bhandari on May 26 had asked the leaders to form the consensus government within seven days.
The President made the call on Thursday, a day after Prachanda tendered his resignation to choose a new prime minister on the basis of political understanding.