Tag: parliament

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Nepal PM Oli loses vote of confidence

Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli

Out of 232, 93 cast their votes in favour of Oli, while 124 voted against the motion. A total of 15 lawmakers remained neutral….reports Asian Lite News

Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli on Monday lost the vote of confidence in the Parliament with 93 lawmakers voting in favour of the motion, 124 against it, while 15 remained neutral.

Oli needed 136 votes to win the trust vote in the 271-strong House of Representatives. Of the 232 lawmakers present in the House on Monday, 93 cast their votes in favour of Oli, while 124 voted against the motion. A total of 15 lawmakers remained neutral.

As many as 28 lawmakers from his own party CPN-UML were absent in the voting.

The Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), which control 61 and 49 votes, respectively, voted against Oli’s trust motion.

The Janata Samajbadi Party, which has 32 votes, however, was divided. While the Mahantha Thakur-led faction stayed neutral, the Upendra Yadav-led group voted against Oli.

Also read:B’desh imposes travel ban on Nepal

Earlier, Oli had urged the disgruntled faction of the party to not take any decision in haste.

“I would like to draw the attention of all the lawmakers to the fact that it is not necessary to rush into any improper decision. Let’s sit down together, discuss and solve any problems,” he tweeted.

Oli was elected the Prime Minister in February 2018 with the support Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Center) whose chairman is Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda.

But the party merger was scrapped by the Supreme Court in March.

Two former Prime Ministers, Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal, are leading the dissatisfaction camp inside the party.

Also read:Nepali lawmakers test Covid positive ahead of floor test

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Arab News Asia News

Arab Parliament slams Houthi attacks

Arab Parliament reiterated that “security of Saudi is a basic pillar in the Arab national security”…reports Asian Lite News

The Arab Parliament (AP) has condemned the Yemeni Houthi militia attacks using explosive-laden drones and ballistic missiles on targets in southwestern Saudi Arabia.

“The continuing escalation and targeting of civilians in Saudi Arabia reflect the Houthis’ challenge of the international law and rejection for all the political efforts to end the crisis in Yemen,” the AP said in a statement on Monday.

It reiterated its support for Saudi Arabia in the measures taken to protect the safety and security of its lands, adding that “security of Saudi is a basic pillar in the Arab national security”, reports Xinhua news agency.

The AP attributed the aggression of the Houthi militia to the reluctance of the international community to take a firm stand for deterring all the violating practices.

Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV reported on Sunday night that the Riyadh-led coalition had intercepted and destroyed six bomb-laden drones and a ballistic missile fired by the Houthi militia from Yemen toward Saudi southern border cities.

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The attack came a day after the Houthi militia lost dozens of fighters in a battle with the Yemeni government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in the oil-rich Marib province.

In February, the Houthis launched a major offensive to capture the province.

They have since stepped up cross-border missile and drone attacks against Saudi cities and oil facilities.

Most of the attacks were reportedly foiled by the coalition.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi group seized control of several northern Yemeni provinces and forced the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi’s government.

Also read:Palestine hit by Arab funding shortage

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-Top News Arab News Asia News

Power struggle intensifies in Iran

The deputies accused Rouhani that he distanced the Islamic Republic from its ideological goals with pro-Western policies …reports Asian Lite News.

The Iranian parliament has filed charges against President Hassan Rouhani, in an intensifying power struggle between hardliners and moderates in the country.

The deputies accuse him of having disregarded laws passed by parliament. Citing the Fars news agency, DPA reported on Sunday that 190 of the 235 lawmakers present voted in favour, without providing any further background or detail.

Observers see a connection between the vote and the renewed nuclear negotiations in Vienna, which may require a compromise with the hardliners’ arch-enemy, the US.

Shortly after their victory in parliamentary elections in February 2020, the hardliners and conservatives have pressured the moderate president to be called in and ultimately resign.

They argue that Rouhani distanced the Islamic Republic from its ideological goals with pro-Western policies and the 2015 Vienna nuclear agreement.

Rouhani for his part accuses the hardliners in parliament of sacrificing national interests for domestic power struggles ahead of the presidential election in June.

Rouhani himself may not be able to run again after two terms in office, but according to observers, the hardliners also want to minimize the chances of the other moderate candidates.

Also read:Iran N-talks revive in Vienna

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-Top News India News

Parliament passes GNCTD Bill

The Bill, ensuring more constitutional powers to the Central government’s appointed Lt. Governor as against the Delhi Assembly, had been passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday…reports Asian Lite News.

The controversial Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021, was passed by Parliament on Wednesday, with the Rajya Sabha clearing the provision amid pandemonium, in a major setback to Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The Bill, ensuring more constitutional powers to the Central government’s appointed Lt. Governor as against the Delhi Assembly, had been passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Ensemble of Government buildings on Rajpath in New Delhi, India (Wikipedia)

Moments after the GNCTD (Amendment) Bill, 2021 got the Rajya Sabha’s approval, the Delhi Cabinet, including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, took to social media to slam the move, alleging the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre was attempting to rule the national capital through the backdoor.

Kejriwal, in a tweet, said: “RS passes GNCTD amendment Bill. Sad day for Indian democracy. We will continue our struggle to restore power back to people. Whatever be the obstacles, we will continue doing good work. Work will neither stop nor slow down.”

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tweeted in Hindi: “Aaj ka din loktantra ke liye kala din hai. Dilli ki janata dwara chuni huyi sarkar ke adhikaron ko chheen kar LG ke hanth me saunp diya gaya. Vidambna dekhiye ki loktantra ki hatya ke liye sansad ko chuna gaya jo hamare loktantra ka mandir hai. Dilli ki janata is tanashahi ke khilaf ladegi (Today is a black day for democracy. The rights of the elected government have been given to the Lt Governor. The sad part is that the Parliament, which is the temple of democracy, has been chosen to murder democracy. The people of Delhi will resist this dictatorial trends).”

The discussions on the new legislation — which gives greater powers to the Lt Governor — led to heated arguments in the upper House of Parliament a number of times on Wednesday.

Members of the Trinamool Congress, the AAP and the Congress, among many other opposition leaders, raised slogans against the legislation.

Due to the ruckus, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had to cut short her speech in her reply to the Finance Bill 2021.

Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman. (File Photo: IANS)

During the debate on the Bill, Trinamool member Derek O’Brien alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party members were constantly commenting on him and that this was against the rules of the House.

Accusing the Central government of arbitrariness, he said the Bill went against the spirit of the federal structure of the nation.

Reacting to O’Brien’s allegations, BJP President J.P. Nadda stood up and accused the Trinamool of double standards.

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-Top News Arab News

Nomination process begins for Palestinian polls

It said electoral lists have been asked to submit the names of their candidates to the commission’s headquarters in Ramallah and Gaza…reports Asian Lite News

The Palestinian Central Elections Commission (PCEC) has started receiving nomination applications for the upcoming legislative election.

In a statement, the PCEC said it started receiving applications from Saturday and it will continue until March 31, reports Xinhua news agency.

It said electoral lists have been asked to submit the names of their candidates to the commission’s headquarters in Ramallah and Gaza.

Only electoral lists of candidates, not individuals, will be accepted, as stipulated in the recently-amended elections law, and an electoral list should have no less than 16 names of candidates and no more than 132, which is the number of seats of the unicameral Palestinian Legislative Council, according to the statement.

Also read:Guterres calls for end to Israeli settlement in Palestine

“Each nomination request will be studied within five days to make sure that the electoral list meets the legal terms of candidacy. After that, the PCEC will decide whether the electoral list is approved or not,” it said.

In January, President Mahmoud Abbas announced the 2021 general elections will include the legislative elections on May 22, the presidential elections on July 31, and the elections of the Palestinian National Council, the highest decision-making body of the Palestine Liberation Organization, on August 31.

Palestine starts technical meetings over preparations for polls(IANS)

The last Palestinian presidential elections were held in March 2005, and the legislative elections in January 2006.

The internal Palestinian division between Hamas and Fatah began in 2007 when Hamas forcibly took over the Gaza Strip from Fatah.

Since then, the Palestinian territories have been split into a Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and a Fatah-dominated West Bank.

Also read:Palestine preps for polls