After leaving the post vacant for two and a half years, political parties earlier last week agreed to elect the deputy Speaker. Nepali Congress lawmaker Pushpa Bhusal was elected to the post as a common candidate of the five-party ruling coalition. She also got votes from the Loktantrik Samajbadi Party to defeat Bidya Bhattarai of the CPN-UML.

However, the political leadership hasn’t shown similar interest in electing the vice-chairperson of the National Assembly, a post that has been vacant for four and a half months—since March 5, when Shashi Kala Dahal retired on completion of her four-year tenure. Officials say Ganesh Timilsina, chairperson of the National Assembly, has drawn the attention of the parties not to delay the election of the vice-chairperson.

Timilsina has repeatedly raised the issue in the Business Advisory Committee meeting and urged the cross-party leadership to elect the vice-chairperson, Rajendra Phuyal, secretary of the National Assembly, told the Post. “However, parties haven’t said when they plan to elect the vice-chair.”

Article 92 of the Constitution of Nepal says the chairperson and vice-chairperson of the National Assembly are elected within 15 days of the commencement of its first meeting. However, it doesn’t say when the election should be held if the positions become vacant in between. The lawmakers from the ruling parties in the upper house say they have raised the issue with their party leadership.

“A month back, I had told our party president and prime minister that the vice-chairperson position must not be left vacant for long,” Anita Devkota, Nepali Congress whip at the National Assembly, told the Post. “He [Sher Bahadur Deuba] assured me that the ruling parties would reach a conclusion after holding discussions. However, I have no information when the position will be filled.”

The constitution says the chairperson and the vice-chairperson are elected from different genders. Unlike in the House of Representatives, however, the constitution doesn’t stop both the positions to be elected from the same party. Article 92 (2) of the constitution says there shall be one woman out of the chairperson and vice-chairperson of the National Assembly.

UML’s Timilsina currently chairs the upper house. As Dahal, who retired as the vice-chairperson, was from the Maoist Centre, the party will be making a claim to the position. Gopi Sarki Achhami, whip of the Maoist Centre, said he has repeatedly drawn the attention of his party chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal to ensure that the vice-chairperson’s position is filled soon.

“Just a few days back, I urged him to talk to the prime minister and reach a conclusion soon,” Achhami told the Post. “He has assured that the election for the position will be held very soon.”

Achhami said as Congress’s Bhusal was a consensus deputy Speaker candidate in the lower house from the five ruling parties, there will be a common candidate from the Maoist Centre for the vice-chairperson. He said one among Urmila Aryal, Ganga Belbase and Bina Pokharel will become vice-chairperson.

Lawmakers say the vice-chairperson position must not be left vacant because it is a constitutional position and is important in terms of inclusion. “The constitution says either the chair or the vice-chair must be a woman to ensure inclusiveness in the Assembly’s leadership,” Khim Lal Bhattarai, a National Assembly member and expert on federal affairs, told the Post. “However, our parties are least bothered about such issue.”

Article 92 (4) of the constitution says the vice-chairperson chairs the Assembly in the absence of its chairperson. The vice-chairperson can also commence or end the Assembly meeting if the chairperson permits that or if s/he cannot be present due to some circumstances, as per the National Assembly regulation.

The chairperson has the legal authority to announce the date and time of the vice-chair election. The general secretary of the parliament secretariat publishes the poll schedule as decided by the chairperson.

Phuyal, however, cited the practice to conduct the Assembly’s business as decided by the Business Advisory Committee.

“However, the chairperson has clearly said he cannot wait too long,” said Phuyal. “He has informed the parties that he will unilaterally announce the date and time if they don’t agree on the election by the first week of August.”