Prez silent; to talk with experts first

KATHMANDU, MAY 28 -

President Ram Baran Yadav on Sunday neither rejected nor accepted Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai’s proposal to hold fresh Constituent Assembly elections in November. The president said he will hold extensive political and legal consultations before taking a decision.

“The PM had come with a letter forwarded by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to the Election Commission (EC) asking the latter to prepare for elections. The PM said there was no other option but to announce fresh elections,” the President’s press adviser, Rajendra Dahal, said. “You came here before the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly. The dissolution of the assembly should officially come through the Chairman of the assembly. I think it is a political issue and I will deal with it accordingly,” the President told the PM. Yadav also told the PM that the latter’s status has transformed to a ‘caretaker PM’, Nepali Congress leader Ram Saran Mahat, who also attended the meeting with the President, said.

Sources said the President will start discussions with leaders on Monday. “Leaders are invited to mark the Republic Day. He will begin consultations then. It is unlikely that the President’s Office will come up with a conclusion on Monday itself.

Source: The Kathmandu Post