The Only Solution: MaKuNe’s Resignation

Only 26 days are left until the deadline for the drafting of the new constitution. I don’t need to tell you that the deadline will not be met. So, the question arises: what will happen after that?

There is no provision in the interim constitution for this scenario. So, the constitution assembly as well as the government will lose legal validity. They will have no legal standing to continue the drafting of the constitution and to rule the country. In this scenario, some force (the president, the prime minister or the army itself) will have to unconstitutionally (illegally) take control.

This will not be acceptable to Maoists, who are not in the government and who have been sidelined for the past few months. They are not going to tolerate an unconstitutional move of any force to take over. This could easily lead the country back to a civil war, which will be deadlier than last time. All the achievements made during the peace process will be gone.

We cannot afford another civil war. The country has already seen enough blood. So, what is the solution? There is only one. Within the next 26 days, the interim constitution should be amended to include the present scenario of unmet-deadline. The interim constitution can be amended to postpone the deadline of the constitution.

But, to amend the constitution, 2/3 majority is required. To get that, all three major political parties, including the Maoists, should agree. 2/3 majority cannot be reached without the biggest party of the nation, the Maoists. If the 2/3 majority is not reached, and the constitution is not amended, there will be a vacuum in the state and we are not ready for it. So, at any cost, the parties must come together and amend the constitution.

The Maoists have already started their movement, asking for the resignation of the prime minister, formation of a national-unity government and a consensus for peace and constitution. I am not a Maoists and I hate to admit this, but they are actually offering a solution.

Only when a national-unity government is made and consensus is reached, can there be 2/3 majority in the constitution assembly. The Maoists are not going to agree to constitution amendment when they are sidelined. So, to avoid a catastrophe, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal must resign and all political parties should work to form a national-unity government and amend the interim constitution.