Intellectuals have called on political parties to break away from the practice of electing the President along party lines and ensure the election of a non-partisan personality to the post of Head-of-State.
An appeal jointly issued by 34 eminent personalities, coming from all walks of life inside the country and abroad, on Thursday, urged not to make the presidency as part of power sharing deals struck by political parties.
"We are of the view that the President should be someone who can work by keeping long-term national interest at the center and wears the cloak of a guardian to carefully alert the public against the short-sighted politics-dominated policies and actions set by the government," the appeal read.
"Also, we believe that the person who holds the highest constitutional post of the country should not be involved in promoting the interests of a particular political party and should not be influenced by external influences," the appeal added.
The appeal reminds that the person elected to the presidency is bound by the constitution to play a crucial role of promoting the national unity.
"It has been the experience of ordinary Nepalis that the Presidents elected till date belong to a particular party rather than the country as a whole, and subsequently, the positions to be appointed by the President – which ought to place capable, expert and non-partisan persons – have not had such appoints."
The appeal signed by advocates, media persons, social campaigners, activists, retired officials of government and security agencies, Nepalis living abroad, among others, further noted that even foreign missions in Kathmandu had begun to take interest in the next presidential candidate after realizing the importance of the presidency and the role it can play in the country.
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