KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress General Secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma has called for a constitutional amendment to ensure that the leader of the political party with the popular mandate serves as the prime minister for a full five-year term.
Speaking at a regional meeting organized by Nepali Congress Jhapa Constituency 1 in Mechinagar, Sharma emphasized the need to address the instability that has plagued Nepal’s governance.
“No prime minister has served a full five-year term since the end of the Rana regime. It’s time to prioritize ending this instability through structured dialogue,” Sharma said.
He argued that the constitution should be amended to allow the leader of the party with the largest mandate to serve as the executive head of government for five years.
Sharma dismissed the immediate need for a directly elected prime minister or president, a model some have advocated for. Instead, he proposed a system where the leader of the winning party is guaranteed a five-year term.
Sharma suggested that the constitution should clearly define the roles of the ruling party and the opposition, with provisions ensuring that the party with the second-highest mandate automatically becomes the main opposition.
He also proposed a mechanism for the prime minister to secure a vote of confidence every two years to maintain accountability.
“The leader of the party with the popular mandate should lead the government, and the opposition’s role must also be clearly defined in the constitution,” Sharma said.
Sharma noted that the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML had come together to form a coalition government with the intention of amending the constitution. He suggested that the two parties should also discuss limiting the number of terms an individual can serve as president or prime minister to prevent power centralization.
“Both the Congress and UML must initiate discussions on constitutional provisions to determine how many terms an individual can serve as the prime minister or president,” Sharma said.
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