House to vote on Maoist proposal as leaders fail to reach consensus 
The special session of the interim parliament, which began a short while ago, is set to see voting on the Maoist proposal as several rounds of bilateral and multilateral meetings of seven-party leaders could not reach compromise.
A meeting of senior leaders of the seven parties held at Prime Minister’s residence at Baluwatar in the morning ended inconclusively with the Maoists and the Nepali Congress sticking to their respective stances.
Sources said the Maoist leaders refused to soften their stance for announcement of republic from the parliament.
NC acting president Sushil Koirala, Maoist spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara, UML leaders Jhalnath Khanal and Amrit Bohara were among the leaders present at the Buluwatar meeting.
Maoist chairman Prachanda also held separate meetings with Speaker Subash Nemwang and CPN (Unity Centre – Masal) general secretary Narayankaji Shrestha ‘Prakash’ to discuss how parliamentary voting on the proposal could be avoided.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala will present the government’s view on the proposals tabled in the House and answer the queries raised by the MPs shortly.
The special session, which was to begin at 2:00 pm, was delayed by hours with the leaders engaging in last-minute discussions for a consensus.
Meanwhile, the UML and the Maoists have agreed to vote for each other’s proposals filed at the House. The Maoist proposal seeks parliamentary proclamation to establish republican order and adopt proportional voting system.
Together they make up majority in the parliament, but it will require 2/3 majority to amend the constitution. nepalnews.com mk Nov 04 07
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