NEPAL: SPEAKER SAYS INTERIM PARLIAMENT SERIOUS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 001332 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/12/2017 TAGS: PREL ECON PREF PTER KDEM BT NP SUBJECT: NEPAL: SPEAKER SAYS INTERIM PARLIAMENT SERIOUS ABOUT ELECTION Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Speaker of the Interim Parliament Subash Nemwang told the Ambassador July 10 that the Interim Parliament was busy preparing for the Constituent Assembly (CA) election and the passage of a new budget. Nemwang stated that, after the budget was passed, the Interim Parliament had one more election bill to pass and then the eight parties would need to agree on legislative priorities. Nemwang reported that Members of Parliament had discussed the resettlement of Bhutanese refugees and had voiced no opposition. Nemwang informed the Ambassador the Maoists were behaving but that the Maoist Young Communist League continued to pose a problem. The Speaker explained that the upcoming Maoist convention was intended to inform the national Maoist cadre about recent political developments and prepare them for the November CA election. Nemwang confirmed that he would be a candidate in the upcoming polls and that his party, the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), had rejected the idea of forming a left front with the Maoists. Interim Parliament Busy with Budget and Election -------------- --- ¶2. (C) During the Ambassador's farewell call on July 10, Speaker of the Interim Parliament Subash Nemwang told him that the Chief of the Election Commission (EC) had reported to the Interim Parliament that the EC was technically prepared for the election and that it was now up to the political parties to do their part. Nemwang stated that the Interim Parliament was busy preparing for the passage of a new budget but was very serious about the election and had only one election bill left to pass. After Parliament passed the budget, the eight governing parties would need to agree on legislative priorities. The Speaker said that the Interim Parliament had twenty bills awaiting consideration, but would probably only be able to consider seven or eight. He noted that three of the bills at the top of the agenda were the Civil Service Reform Act, the Human Trafficking Bill, and a bill addressing the rights and status of non-resident Nepalis. (Note: The human trafficking bill also addresses abductions. End Note) In response to the Ambassador's inquiry, the Speaker indicated that the list did not include any legislation regarding adoptions. Resettlement of Bhutanese Refugees Discussed -------------- ¶3. (C) The Speaker indicated that the Members of the Interim Parliament had discussed Prime Minister Koirala's recent commitment in the Government of Nepal's Policies and Programs paper supporting third-country resettlement for the Bhutanese refugees. The MPs had not offered any opposition to the policy. The Ambassador stated that the U.S., for its part, was ready and determined to move forward with resettlement. He stressed that the Bhutanese refugees should not have to spend their entire lives in the camps; rather, they needed a real alternative and resettlement offered them hope for a better future. The Ambassador shared his concerns that the Maoists (both the Communist Party of Bhutan (CPB) and Nepali Maoists) looked upon the camps as a source of revolutionary fervor and recruits. He added that the CPB alliance with pro-repatriation Bhutanese leaders was unfortunate, as these traditional leaders were more reasonable and would be open to meaningful dialogue. No UML - Maoist Alliance -------------- ¶4. (C) Nemwang confirmed that he would be one of the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) candidates in the upcoming Constituent Assembly election and added that he hoped there would be allowances for his candidacy while also serving as the Speaker of the Interim Parliament. (Note: Traditionally, the Speaker and the rest KATHMANDU 00001332 002 OF 002 of the MPs resign in advance of a general election. However, the CA Members Election Act provides that the Interim Parliament need not be dissolved prior to the election, possibly bringing the Speaker's position and candidacy into conflict. End Note) Nemwang told the Ambassador that he had not participated in the 15-day CPN-UML Central Committee meeting which concluded July 9, but he confirmed that his party had ruled out forming a common left front with the Maoists. Maoists in Parliament Behaving -------------- ¶5. (C) In response to the Ambassador's question, the Speaker reported that the Maoists in the Interim Parliament were "behaving," but that the Maoist Young Communist League (YCL) continued to be a problem in the country. Nemwang stated it was his understanding that the Maoist leaders were organizing the upcoming Maoist party convention later in July in order to inform the national cadre about recent political developments and to prepare them for the CA election. The Speaker noted that the Maoists were talking to the Election Commission about their preferred "election symbol." Another party, the United Left Front, had apparently already claimed the hammer and sickle logo. Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) In closing, the Ambassador thanked the Speaker for his cooperation and congratulated Nemwang on having done such good work in a tough position. The Ambassador urged Nemwang to keep pushing for seven-party unity and the elimination of violence as a political tool. We see the Speaker's evident commitment to a November election and the absence of widespread criticism or disapproval of the key election bill as promising signs. It will now be up to the parties to maintain sufficient unity while explaining their respective party platforms and the purpose of the CA election itself to an uninformed electorate. At the same time, the seven-party alliance will need to hold a tough line with the Maoists to secure a free and fair election and to ensure that the Maoists don't derail the electoral process. MORIARTY