Nepal's Koirala pledges to deliver constitution within a year

Nepal's Prime Minister Sushil Koirala today said his government is committed to create a conducive atmosphere to reach a consensus with all political parties to promulgate the new constitution within a year.
"The government is committed to creating an atmosphere for giving a federal democratic constitution to the Nepali people within a year on the basis of consensus among all political parties within and outside the Constituent Assembly," he said addressing a function here to mark the Democracy Day.
The new government led by the Nepali Congress was formed with the completion of the second Constituent Assembly polls in November which has been shouldered with the responsibility of drafting a new constitution on the basis of consensus, cooperation and unity at the political level, said Koirala.

Koirala said commitments to civil rights and democratic norms and values will create a basis of mutual trust among the political parties.
He observed that the Nepali society, which is rich with diversity of language, ethnicity, religion and culture, can only be united through the democratic rule.
Koirala, president of Nepal's biggest political party, was elected as Prime Minister on February 11 with 405 votes in favour in the 601-member Constituent Assembly, ending months of political crisis in the country.

The six-decade-long struggles launched for democracy in Nepal has witnessed many ups and downs, Koirala said, adding democracy achieved through sacrifices of Nepali people was suppressed many times and one has to learn lessons from such tragic moments.

"Democracy would be itself consolidated if the problems related to poverty and unemployment of the people could be resolved through economic prosperity and development," said Koirala.
Koirala appealed to all "political parties to extend cooperation, participation and collaboration in fulfilling this great responsibility".
Notably, Koirala could not expand his two-member cabinet for the past one week after key ally CPN-UML decided not to provide the list of its nominees for the council of ministers after he rejected its demand for Home portfolio.
The Democracy Day is being organised every year to commemorate the day when democracy was ushered in Nepal through untiring struggle and sacrifice. Nepal became a republic nation in 2008, ending the 240-year rule of the monarchy.