Nepal fails to draft new constitution before promised deadline

Nepal's political parties have failed to draft a new constitution before the Jan. 22 deadline they set a year ago, cross-party leaders said on Friday.

Thursday was the deadline set by parties after the second Constituent Assembly (CA) election was held in November 2013. The differences among major parties on federalism, form of government, and judiciary and electoral system made the constitution elusive.

Despite repeated attempts, parties failed to bridge their gaps on these issues. Ruling and opposition parties blamed each other for the failure to make a new constitution.

Ahead of the deadline, relations between parties in Nepal soured after the opposition rampaged the CA on Tuesday, protesting the ruling parties' plan to table a bill for a voting process on disputed issues.

CA Chairman Subas Nembang has warned that if the parties continue to obstruct the parliament, the chances of new constitution will be over. He said there are no alternatives to settle the contentious issues through a voting process if there is no consensus among parties.

Senior leader of the Nepali Congress Sher Bahadur Deuba said they have failed to reach consensus with the opposition over the new constitution.

This is a second time that the Nepali parties failed to deliver a new constitution. The CA elected in 2008 was dissolved in May 2012 without a new charter.

Nepal's parties agreed to draft a new constitution by signing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2006, which ended a 10-year insurgency. Endi