Nepal Constituent Assembly members to take oath Tuesday

Veteran lawmaker Surya Bahadur Thapa will administer the oath to the members of the newly-elected Nepal constituent assembly, officials said Sunday.

The constituent assembly secretariat informed media that senior lawmaker Thapa will administer the oath to members Tuesday afternoon at the assembly building after himself being sworn-in by President Ram Baran Yadav Monday afternoon, Xinhua reported.

Former prime minister Thapa, 85, is also chairman of the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party, which has secured 10 seats in the new assembly.

The first meeting of the constituent assembly is scheduled to take place Jan 22, two months after the Nov 19 elections.

Senior lawmaker Kul Bahadur Gurung administered the oath to members of the first constituent assembly elected in 2008. He will chair the meeting of the assembly until the chairman and vice-chairman of the new assembly are elected.

The secretariat has already issued a public notice to all members of the assembly to be present at the oath-taking ceremony along with their certificates.

A total of 30 political parties have secured place in the 601-member second constituent assembly following elections held Nov 19, last year.