President returns bill, triggering tension with Parliament
According to the Office of the President, the bill would also contradict global democratic norms and practices, prompting the President to return it for reconsideration.
KATHMANDU: A potential institutional clash has emerged between Nepal’s two key constitutional bodies — the Office of the President and the Federal Parliament — after President Ram Chandra Paudel returned a controversial bill that aimed to amend the structure and decision-making process of the Constitutional Council.
President Paudel, citing serious constitutional concerns, sent the bill back to Parliament on Thursday evening, stating that it contradicts the spirit of Article 284 of the Constitution and undermines the principle of checks and balances.
According to the Office of the President, the bill would also contradict global democratic norms and practices, prompting the President to return it for reconsideration.
The bill titled “Amendment to the Constitutional Council (Duties, Powers and Procedures) Act, 2066” had been passed by both Houses of Parliament and was submitted for presidential authentication on Asar 31. However, in a rare move, the President declined to authenticate it and instead returned it to the legislature.
In response to the President’s move, Speaker of the House of Representatives Devraj Ghimire visited the President at Sheetal Niwas early Friday morning.
According to sources close to the Speaker, Ghimire expressed keen interest in understanding the reasons behind the return of the bill and discussed how to proceed with the parliamentary process going forward.
