27 December 2019, Kathmandu
The meeting of House of Representatives which was called for Friday has been postponed for Wednesday. Putting a notice by the federal parliament secretariat, the next House meeting will be called on January 1. The notice issued by Federal Parliament Secretariat informed about the postponement of the meeting citing special reason.
The meeting has been postponed after the ruling CPN failed to agree on its candidate for speaker.
Both the former CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center) factions are claiming for the post of speaker. CPN Chairman KP Sharma Oli wishes to make former Constituent Assembly chairman Subas Chandra Nembang the speaker while another Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has been insisting that Agni Sapkota from the Maoist faction should get the post.
The Maoist faction points that it should again get the post it had received during the power sharing before party unification.
Deputy Speaker Tumbahamphe has also staked claim for the post.
The post of speaker is vacant after Krishna Bahadur Mahara on October 2 resigned from the post after facing the rape allegation against a woman working at federal Parliament Secretariat.
The ruling party will have to ask Deputy Speaker Shiva Maya Tumbahamphe, whose allegiance is now with CPN having won the last general election on a CPN-UML ticket, to resign to keep the post of speaker with the party as the Constitution prohibits appointment of speaker and deputy speaker from the same party.
The next House meeting will start the process to elect the speaker.
