by Kalpit Parajuli

Khilaraj Regmi, chairman of the Supreme Court, will not take office until March 7. The two posts are incompatible and his appointment is unconstitutional. June 5 elections at risk.

Kathmandu (AsiaNews) - The constitutional debate over Khilaraj Regmi, the first Premier in the history of the country to also be the President of the Supreme Court, has thrown Nepal once again into institutional chaos. Appointed on 20 February, the  judge will have to wait for the opinion of the judges of the Constitutional Court to begin his mandate.

The verdict will be issued on March 7 and it is still unclear if officials will vote in favour. According to experts this waiting jeopardizes the election date, which could be postponed, sending the country once again into chaos.

On February 25, Khilaraj Regmi formally accepted his assignment, receiving the support of smaller parties that previously had been opposed to his appointment by organizing demonstrations around the country.

Since 2008, Nepal has changed prime ministers four times. Regmi replaces the Maoist Baburan Bhattarai under siege by the media and opposition parties for having covered up the truth about the massacres carried out by cadres of his party during the civil war (1996-2007).

 

• nepal
• prime
• minister
• constitution
• supreme
• court
• judge
• elections