Deadlock finally over: Leaders to ink 12-point agreement on 8-federal state model

KATHMANDU, June 8: After agreeing to opt for eight provinces federal model of the country, the top-notch leaders of the major four parties are all set to ink a 12-point agreement.

According to a leader who preferred not to be named said that the Federal Commission will be assigned on delineation of provinces while naming the proposed provinces to the federal assembly.

The leaders have also agreed to adopt a mixed electoral system with 165 seats allocated for the first past the post-election while 110 seats for proportional quotas, the leader added. Similarly, the leaders also agreed for 275 seats in lower house while 35 seats in the upper house. A constitutional court will be set up for next 10 years to deal the issues related to constitution, the agreement says.

Earlier, a meeting held between major four parties at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Baluwatar this morning, the leaders of top four parties reached agreement to this effect, said Ishwor Pokhrel, CPN-UML General Secretary, emerging from the meeting.

With the today's agreement, the long-standing dispute among the parties regarding the issue of new federal structure of the country after promulgation of new constitution has been finally ended. The major political parties and the Tarai Madhes based parties were at loggerheads regarding the issue and was only remaining issue to be settled.