Chairman of Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal Upendra Yadav on Sunday advised President Bidya Devi Bhandari that a delay in authenticating the ordinance on National Assembly election would only prolong Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s term.

Amid festering dispute over the ordinance among the political parties, President Bhandari has been consulting with experts and major leaders of political parties. 

“We have informed the President that PM Deuba could continue with his office for several months if the current dispute continues,” said Rajendra Shrestha, co-chairman of the SSF-N, who accompanied Yadav in the meeting.

They said the President would have no other option but to authenticate the ordinance at the earliest as that was mandatory and would block all the constitutional processes. 

On the single transferable vote STV system for the election of National Assembly, the SSF-N leaders said the STV was the most inclusive method among the proportional election systems that could ensure the diversity to the highest level as the National Assembly is also known to be the House of nationalities. 

On president’s query about the appointment of provincial chiefs, the SSF-N said they were in favour of the Deuba government making those appointments but through a consensus among the five national parties.

Shrestha added they informed the President that the door to electing the members of the National Assembly would open only after the provincial chiefs swear in the chief ministers.