The government has again recommended the Constitutional Council (Functions, Duties and Powers) Ordinance, which was returned by the President.
The Cabinet meeting held this morning decided to recommend the issuance of the ordinance again, according to government spokesperson Sashmit Pokharel. The government has sent it back without making any changes to the ordinance. President Ram Chandra Paudel had returned the ordinance on Sunday, asking for reconsideration. The President had returned the ordinance for reconsideration, citing concerns about the interpretation of the majority required in the council's decision-making process.
Currently, in the existing law, a six-member council has a quorum of five (chairman and four members), decisions are made on the basis of consensus, and if consensus is not reached in the first meeting, a decision can be made by a majority in the next meeting. However, the ordinance has a provision that if the chairman and four members are present in the council meeting, a quorum is formed, and a decision can be made by a majority, i.e., three members. President Paudel decided to return it, saying that the new provision in the ordinance would weaken the essence of the majority system.
Earlier, President Paudel had also returned the Constitutional Council Bill, which was passed by both houses and sent for certification in August 2082, reducing the quorum, on August 8.
