Kathmandu, June 29

Nepal's Drafting Committee has endorsed the first draft of the long-pending constitution, which, if promulgated, would recognise the country as "secular, inclusive and multi-ethnic" for the first time.

The draft, drawn up on the basis of the 16-point agreement reached by Nepal's warring political parties, will be presented to the full 601- member Constituent Assembly (CA) later on Monday.

Four major parties representing more than 90 per cent seats of the CA had reached the landmark agreement on June 8 in the wake of the April 25 earthquake that caused widespread devastation following.

The CA had given the Committee 15 days to draw up and submit a draft of the new constitution.

With the new Constitution, Nepal will be a Hindu nation in the Constitution only.

The constitution envisages a parliamentary system of governance where executive powers are vested on the Prime Minister, who will be elected from the Parliament through majority votes.

Political parties have agreed to adopt mixed electoral system in both the federal parliament as well as the state assemblies, with 60 per cent to be elected through direct voting or first-past-the-post system and 40 per cent through proportional representation system.

The federal parliament will have 275 members of which 165 will be elected through direct voting and the remaining 110 will be elected through proportionate voting.

The new constitution has adopted the principles of pluralistic multi-party competitive democracy with federal democratic republican parliamentary system. Multi-party democracy based on pluralistic principle is a non-amendable provision in the Constitution.

Other normal provisions of the Constitution can be amended through two-thirds majority votes.

Under the provision of the new constitution, citizenship can be acquired in the name of either father or mother.

The President will be elected through an electoral college consisting of members of the federal parliament and state assemblies and to become victorious, one has to secure more than 50 per cent votes.

There will be a bicameral Parliament at the centre while the state assembly will be unicameral.

“The draft constitution will be presented in the CA on Monday for discussion on issues that have yet to be settled,” Nepali Congress general secretary and Constitution Drafting Committee Chairman Krishna Sitaula told reporters. PTI