As many as 30 lawmakers and 54 central committee members from CPN-UML arrived at Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday….reports Asian Lite News
Weeks after lodging an application with the Election Commission to register their new party, members of the rival faction inside Nepal’s opposition CPN-UML presented themselves for in-person verification.
As many as 30 lawmakers and 54 central committee members from CPN-UML arrived at Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday. The electoral body on Wednesday verified a new party led by Madhav Kumar Nepal after registering an application.
Thirty lawmakers from both the National Assembly and the House of Representatives and 54 central committee members of CPN-UML showed themselves at the EC to verify themselves as members of the Nepal-led Unified Socialist party.
“Talking about the required number, we have enough number to register and claim ourselves as party both formally and as per the legal procedures. Our party, the Nepal Communist Party- Unified Socialist Party is registered,” Gangadhar Tuladhar, acting spokesperson of the lately formed party told reporters in a briefing.
As per the newly amended Acts relating to the Political Parties 2017, the new party should comprise 20 per cent of lawmakers or the central committee members of the party of origin.
Although the number of lawmakers identified in the EC is not enough for the valid split of the party, Nepal’s new party got enough support from the central committee members as out of the required 41 members 54 verified as the members of the newly formed party.
The EC had earlier summoned the Madhav Nepal-led CPN-Unified (Socialist) and the Mahanta Thakur-led Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) for identification.
The CPN-UML has formally split after the ordinance on political parties was issued with the support of 20 per cent in the parliamentary parties and the Central Committee.
Leader Nepal had submitted the names of 58 members of the UML’s 203-member central committee to the EC. However, as the party registration application was not signed, the identities of the seven candidates could not be ascertained.
LGBTQ demands recognition
Members of the LGBTQ+ community in Nepal gathered at Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu to observe Pride Day on Monday.
Celebrated annually on the day of Gai Jatra, the pride parade brings thousands from sexual minority groups who have been asking for recognition in the Himalayan nation.
Marking their day, the queer group has finalized the ‘Celebration, Resilience, and Determination’ of the LGBTQ+ community as its theme for the year.
“Our friends who lost their lives in last one year either by ending their lives on own or by COVID or HIV positive, ignored and neglected by families come together. During the lockdown at least 25 of our members have committed suicide and some died due to the COVID pandemic, we held a candlelight vigil in their memory which we kept at low key and short,” Sudip Gautam, an LGBTQ+ activist told ANI.
Gautam, who also works as Human Rights Officer at a rights organization, said they have been promised citizenship on the basis of their identity but the condition isn’t that favorable when it comes to the implementation.
“Also, same-sex marriage should be legalized which would support us in gaining recognition and then comes the issue of the adoption of children. We just want the rights which are enjoyed by heterosexuals, not more than that,” he added.
The newly promulgated Constitution of Nepal in September 2015 has a special provision for sexual minorities but the group has been demanding its complete implementation.
According to Diplomat magazine, these positive developments up to 2015 had been hailed as a stepping-stone for the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights within the broader spectrum of the conservative nature of the society.
“However, the ground reality is darker and murkier, the LGBTQ+ community in Nepal continues to face discrimination from the larger spectrum of society, including state institutions,” the report added.
According to the international news magazine, members of the minority group are deprived of employment opportunities including in the civil services, army, and police. (ANI)
