Nepal’s government proposed Thursday a second one-year extension in the life of the current parliament that was elected in 2008 to draft a new constitution but has singularly failed to do so. The parliament, known as the Constituent Assembly, was originally elected with a two-year mandate — meant to end on May 28, 2010 with the promulgation of the new constitution. Political deadlock in the Maoist-dominated house resulted in a one-year extension to May 2011 and, with no constitution in sight, the cabinet has now proposed a second extension to May 2012. “We have decided to extend the term because it became clear that we won’t be able to promulgate the constitution within the deadline,” Education Minister Gangalal Tuladhar told reporters.
