Pandey appointed Parliament’s general secretary

Kathmandu / Feb 6: President Ramchandra Paudel on Tuesday appointed Padma Prasad Pandey as general secretary of the Federal Parliament, two months after his recommendation for the position.

The Office of President in a statement said Pandey was appointed as per Article 106 of the constitution on the joint recommendation of Speaker of the House of Representatives and National Assembly chair.

Earlier today, Pandey resigned as secretary of the House of Representatives. Pandey’s resignation was approved before he was appointed general secretary.

The Parliament and President’s Office were at odds over the appointment for two months.

In January, Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire and National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina sent a reminder letter to the President saying that the delay in appointment has affected the functioning of the federal legislature.

Pandey was leading the administration of the federal parliament as the acting chief following the resignation of Bharat Raj Gautam. Gautam submitted his resignation from the post to President Paudel on December 10. The next day, Speaker Ghimire, in consultation with Timilsina, chair of the upper house, recommended Pandey as his replacement.

Paudel accepted Gautam’s resignation on December 13, two days after Pandey was recommended for the position. His refusal to appoint the general secretary even led to a public dispute between the two state bodies.