- Sunday, 20 September 2026
Kathmandu, Sept 19: Former Prime Minister and President of the then Constitutional Assembly (CA) Constitutional Committee, Dr Baburam Bhattarai, has said the promulgation of the Constitution by the CA on September 19, 2015 is a significant accomplishment of Nepal’s democratic history.
Talking to RSS on the occasion of the Constitution Day today, the former Prime Minister said the Constitution was promulgated following a long political struggle, the people’s movements and other various movements. The Constitution has institutionalised federal democratic republic, secularism, federalism and inclusive democracy.
However, the leader admitted that despite the completion of one decade since the Constitution was promulgated, many expected achievements have remained unmet as of date. ” This is the not the fault of the Constitution, but weaknesses in its implementation including a delay in enactment of laws, limited capacity of political leadership, weak governance and the obstacles in socio-economic transformation.
He pressed the need to prioritise economic development, employment, production and prosperity as the major agenda of the nation.
According to Dr Bhattarai, republic, federalism, secularism and inclusive democracy are the foundations of the Constitution, any attempts capable of weakening these features are unexpected.
Differing views in regard with the consensus are obvious when the society characterised by diverse opinions and ideologies, he said, adding that amidst such differences, the major accomplishment of the Constitution be protected.
In view of Dr Bhattarai who represented the Gorkha-1 in the 2013 Constituent Assembly (CA) that had promulgated the 2015 Constitution, he said the provision of inclusion in the Constitution has yield positive change improving the representation of women including those from the Dalit community in the leadership. “It has contributed to further strengthening of the practice of inclusion,” he concluded.
He believes that proper allocations of rights and management of resources among the three-tier governments and an increased participation of the people is necessary to further enable the federalism.
Acknowledging some incompleteness in the Constitution, Dr Bhattarai highlighted the need for reforms in provisions concerning a mixed electoral system, demarcation and naming of federal units, restructuring of judiciary and appointments in constitutional bodies.
The mixed electoral system is likely to cause political instability, he said, arguing that it would be better to switch to a directly elected Presidential system and a fully proportional parliamentary system to avoid such potential instability.
He called for making the judiciary and constitutional bodies more independent, participatory, and powerful.
Regarding constitutional amendment, he stressed the need to prioritise national consensus, conscience and the protection of democratic accomplishments while proceeding with constitutional amendments.
He said that amending the Constitution does not mean demolishing the foundation of a house; rather it means strengthening and beautifying the houses thorough additional works and necessary improvements. “An amendment that weakens the foundation of the Constitution will threaten its major achievements. Therefore, it should not be undertaken haphazardly”, he stressed.
At the end, he said that the promulgation of the Constitution by the Constituent Assembly is an epoch-making event in Nepal’s history. He urged the younger generations to contribute to promoting good governance, economic prosperity, social justice and democratic values by safeguarding the Constitution.
He also said that Asoj 3 (the third day of Asoj in the Nepali calendar) should continue to be observed as a National festival, commemorating the promulgation of the historic constitution given by the Constituent Assembly.
Constitution Day: Promotion of constitutional culture stressed
Constitution expert Kashiraj Dahal has stressed the need to develop a strong constitutional culture alongside the effective implementation of the Constitution.
Speaking at a programme organized in Bharatpur, Chitwan, on Saturday on the occasion of 11th Constitution Day, Dahal asserted that merely formulating a constitution was not enough.
He thus emphasized that the Constitution must be implemented in accordance with its spirit and principles and that a responsible political and civic culture should also be fostered.
He argued, “The Constitution provides a direction and a system, but it does not provide wisdom and judgment. Therefore, the laws envisaged by the Constitution should be formulated without further delay and enforced effectively.”
Dahal said that political leadership, state institutions and citizens must demonstrate responsible conduct for the constitutional system to function effectively.
He opined that Nepal could draw lessons from positive practices and experiences of other countries to ensure the stability of its Constitution.
According to him, more than 800 constitutions have been drafted around the world, while some countries have amended or replaced their constitutions several times.
Citing the Constitution of the United States, Dahal mentioned that its fundamental constitutional system had been maintained while making amendments in response to changing circumstances.
According to him, public trust and ownership of the Constitution, along with respect for the constitutional system, are essential to keep the national statute alive.
“Promulgation of constitution is not enough. To keep it alive, political culture and conduct consistent with its spirit and principles are necessary,” he underscored.
Dahal noted that promulgation of constitution itself is a political process and that countries around the world have developed different constitutional practices based on their political philosophies and national circumstances.
He cautioned that even constitutions with democratic content could face difficulties if their implementation was not guided by democratic practices.
He pointed to tendencies such as concentrating power in elected leadership, weakening state institutions, influencing electoral processes, undermining the opposition and controlling the media as potential threats to the constitutional system.
Regarding the implementation of the Constitution of Nepal, the constitution expert underlined the need to formulate the laws envisaged by it without further delay.
Stating that several laws required for its effective implementation, he dismayed that the laws were far from implementation although more than a decade have elapsed since the promulgation of the Constitution in 2015.
According to him, the prolonged absence of a Federal Civil Service Act had created complications in implementing administrative federalism, while he worried that the required legal framework for regulating school education was not in place yet.
During the programme, Dahal also spoke of need to promote constitutional awareness among the people and raise the question- ‘What change did the Constitution seek to bring?’ at the grassroots level.
Reflecting on Nepal’s constitutional history, he mentioned that the process of constitution promulgation began in 2004 BS and the country has gone through several phases of constitutional change over the years.
For constitutional stability, he opined, that Nepal needed not only a well-functioning constitutional framework but also political culture, institutional practices and a sense of public ownership consistent with the Constitution.
Furthermore, Dahal also called for amendments in constitution so as to make the civil service more professional and to better connect the knowledge and experience of government employees with national productivity.
Highlighting the need of a strong and professional bureaucracy, he stated the bureaucracy serves as a key mechanism for providing political leadership with necessary advice on policy and lawmaking.
