Kathmandu, May 6: The government has introduced new provisions in the ordinance related to the Constitutional Council, allowing meetings to proceed with a reduced quorum and enabling decisions with a simple majority.
On the recommendation of the Council of Ministers, President Ramchandra Paudel issued the ordinance on Tuesday.
Under the Constitution, the Constitutional Council of Nepal consists of six members: the Prime Minister as chair, the Chief Justice, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chairperson of the National Assembly, Deputy Speaker, and the leader of the main opposition party.
However, the new provision allows meetings to be convened even if only four members are present, which will now be considered the required quorum.
The ordinance also states that decisions can be made if at least three members, including the chair, agree. This effectively means that a three-member majority is sufficient to pass decisions when full consensus is not reached.
In cases where all six members are present and votes are split evenly, the Prime Minister’s vote will be decisive, ensuring a final outcome.
The revised framework allows the Council to function with fewer members present while shifting decision-making towards majority voting instead of consensus.
The government argues the change will help prevent delays in constitutional appointments and decisions that often stall due to absence or disagreement among members.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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