Kuwait City: Kuwait’s Constitutional Court on Sunday annulled the 2022 National Assembly and brought back the 2020 Parliament, the media reported.
The ruling, which took immediate effect, saw members of the previous Parliament, including Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem, taking office, Xinhua reported citing Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
The decision came after the Constitutional Court ruled that the election process in September 2021 in all the five electoral districts was null and void.
Last December, the Constitutional Court postponed its examination of appeals lodged by several electoral districts against the Parliamentary election results, according to KUNA.
In January, the then-Kuwaiti cabinet resigned, following a standoff between the government and the opposition-led Parliament over financial relief policies.
Earlier this month, the court announced it would rule on March 19 on the electoral appeals.
New Delhi: The evolution of the Constitution has to take place in Parliament and no other “super body” or institution, including the judiciary and the executive, has any role in it, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Sunday.
It is the primacy of the Constitution that determines the stability, harmony and productivity of democratic governance and Parliament reflecting mandate of the people is the ultimate and exclusive architect of the Constitution, he said.
Dhankhar’s remarks, made at the release a memoir of former Tamil Nadu governor P S Ramamohan Rao, came a day after Law Minister Kiren Rijiju invoked the “Lakhsman Rekha” on the relationship between the executive and the judiciary.
The vice president said, “A constitution has to evolve from the people through Parliament, not from the executive. The executive has no role in evolving the Constitution and no other institution including judiciary.”
He further stressed, “The Constitution evolution has to take place in Parliament and there can be no super body to look into that…it has to end with Parliament.”
The vice president said he was making the statement “without fear of contradiction (and) having studied constituent assembly debates and examined constitutions of countries where democracy blossoms and flourishes”.
Amid a tussle between the judiciary and the government over the appointment of judges of high courts and the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Saturday said not every system is perfect but the current collegium system is the “best” mechanism developed by the judiciary to maintain its independence.
Justice Chandrachud put up a stout defence of the collegium system of judges appointing judges to higher courts while speaking at the India Today Conclave, 2023, just hours after Law Minister Rijiju at the same forum again criticised the selection process, asserting that as per the Constitution the appointment of judges is the duty of the government.
Rijiju also said the appointment of judges was not a judicial work but “purely administrative in nature”.
The minister felt that if judges got involved in administrative work, they would have to face criticism. He said the principle of justice will be compromised if a judge ends up hearing a matter of which he or she was a part.
“Suppose you are the chief justice or a judge. You are part of an administrative process that will come into question. The matter comes to your court. Can you deliver a judgment on a matter you were part of? The principle of justice itself will be compromised. That is why the Lakshman Rekha is very clear in the Constitution,” Rijiju said.
New Delhi: After returning from London, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attended the meeting of the parliamentary committee on external affairs where, sources said he responded to the BJP MPs without naming him about MPs going abroad and speaking against the country.
The meeting was held on Saturday.
Sources said Rahul Gandhi said that he has not spoken anything which is against the country. The members of the ruling party objected to this, but Rahul was supported by the opposition members, sources said. After which External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar intervened and said the members should speak on the subject.
Rahul has been insisting that he wants to speak in the House and met the Speaker a few days ago. He said four Ministers have raised allegations against him in Parliament House so he has the right to respond.
“It is my right to be allowed to speak on the floor of the House. I requested the speaker today. I went to his chamber and I requested him. I said – look, I would very much like to speak. I told him that people from the BJP have made allegations against me and as a Member of Parliament, it is my right to speak,” he said on Thursday.
The BJP has ceased the opportunity to target Rahul Gandhi, and BJP National President J.P. Nadda has said that Rahul Gandhi has become “a permanent part of this anti-nationalist toolkit”.
Nadda said: “It’s unfortunate that the Congress party is indulging in anti-national activities. After being repeatedly rejected by the nation, Rahul Gandhi has now become a permanent part of this anti-nationalist toolkit.”
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said the current logjam in Parliament can be resolved if the Opposition comes forward for talks and that the government will go “two steps ahead” if it takes “two steps forward”.
Participating in the India Today Conclave here on Friday, Shah also said there are certain issues which are above politics and even former prime minister Indira Gandhi had refused to discuss domestic politics in a foreign land.
“Let the two sides sit before the Speaker and discuss. They should come two steps forward and we will go two steps ahead. Then Parliament will start running. But you just hold a press conference and do nothing, it can’t be like that,” he said.
The home minister said a parliamentary system can’t run with only the treasury or only the Opposition as both have to talk to each other.
“Despite our initiative, there has been no proposal for talks from the Opposition. So whom will we talk to? They are talking to the media. They created a slogan that there should be freedom of speech in Parliament. There is complete freedom of speech in Parliament. No one can stop you from talking,” he said.
However, Shah said, everyone has to follow rules and there can’t be freestyle and everyone should have to study the rules and understand them.
He said, “The debates in Parliament take place as per rules. You can’t talk in Parliament like one can do on the road. If they don’t have this basic concept, what can we do?”
The home minister said Parliament functions under certain rules and those rules were not framed by the present government.
“These rules have existed even during the times of their grandmother or father. They were taking part in debate with these rules, we are also participating as per these rules.
“They have no idea about the rules and then allege that they are not being allowed to speak. This is not acceptable. No one can just stand up and start speaking. There are rules and you have to follow those rules. There are no changes in these rules,” he said.
Citing two instances, Shah said Indira Gandhi had visited England after the Emergency and at that time the Shah Commission was constituted and there were attempts to put her in jail.
“On that, some journalist had asked her (in England) how is your country doing. She said we have some issues but I don’t want to say anything here. My country is running well. I won’t say anything about my country. Here I am an Indian,” he said quoting Indira Gandhi.
The home minister said former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in the Opposition and there was supposed to be a discussion on Kashmir at the United Nations.
He said a Congress government was in power at that time and that was for the first and last time that the Indian delegation was led by an opposition leader, Vajpayee, because it was a discussion on Kashmir.
“This trust… there are some issues which are about politics. I believe that everyone should follow this tradition.
“Should we go abroad and level allegations about India and should we go to the Parliament of other countries and make comments about India? I believe the Congress will have to answer this,” he said.
The first week of the second half of Parliament’s Budget session has been completely disrupted following protests by members of both ruling and opposition parties.
While the BJP has been demanding an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks in London, the Opposition has been demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani issue.
During his interactions in London, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the structures of Indian democracy are under attack and there is a “full-scale assault” on the country’s institutions.
The remarks triggered a political slugfest, with the BJP accusing him of maligning India on foreign soil and seeking foreign interventions, and the Congress hitting back at the ruling party by citing previous instances of Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising internal politics abroad.
New Delhi: Stepping up their attack on Rahul Gandhi for his “democracy under brutal attack” remark in the UK, BJP leaders, including Union ministers, on Thursday demanded an apology from the Congress leader insisting that he was “not above Parliament”.
They alleged that Gandhi had insulted the country from foreign soil by asserting that the US and European nations were oblivious that a huge chunk of democratic model had come undone in India.
“India’s prestige has not been attacked in such a manner before. Political differences may be there but there cannot be a graver crime than to seek interference from foreign powers. Anger prevails across the country for the grave insult Rahul Gandhi has inflicted upon what even the world acknowledges as the mother of democracy,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi told reporters here.
Congress leaders have ruled out an apology by Gandhi, who met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and sought permission to respond in Parliament to the allegations levelled against him.
Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Kiren Rijiju, Anurag Thakur, Giriraj Singh and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Gandhi of “lying” about India in London and expressed anger that the Congress leader had not shown any remorse for his actions.
“Welcome to Parliament. It has been a week-long wait. Rahul Gandhi has maligned India from foreign soil, has spread lies and insulted Parliament. He should come to the House and apologise,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Thakur said.
Law Minister Rijiju said Gandhi was not above other Members of Parliament and should not treat the Indian Parliament as his personal fiefdom.
“Rahul Gandhi may have lived his 50+ years as an entitled dynast. Before 2014, he may have had a free pass to do and say what he wants without any accountability, including tearing ordinances. But that stops now. He has to be accountable for his lies,” Chandrasekhar said.
The BJP leaders asked Gandhi to “first demonstrate” his regret as the Congress leader met Birla seeking permission to speak in the House amid an impasse in Parliament over his comments in the UK on the state of democracy in India.
Addressing a press conference, Gandhi alleged that the whole “tamasha” around his remarks in Britain has been created by the government to divert attention from the Adani issue and asserted it is a “test of Indian democracy” as to whether he would be allowed to respond to the allegations by the BJP in Parliament.
BJP spokesperson Prasad slammed Gandhi and said the Congress leader’s comments cannot become the “barometer” of success or failure of democracy.
Gandhi has levelled “absolutely baseless and false allegations without any iota of truth,” Goyal said, adding that the former Congress president was behaving as if he has come after performing some “great act of patriotism” without showing any sign of remorse.
During his visit to the UK, Gandhi had said it was surprising that the so-called defenders of democracy, which are the US and European countries, seem to be oblivious that a huge chunk of the democratic model has come undone.
“The opposition is fighting the battle and it is not an Indian battle alone, actually it is much more of a bigger battle, a battle for a huge part of democratic people,” he had said.
The BJP has accused Gandhi of seeking the intervention of foreign powers in India by portraying the state of democracy in the country in a poor light.
Gandhi’s remarks have rocked Parliament, with Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha failing to transact any significant business on the first four days of the Budget session’s second half.
To a question, if the session is headed for a washout if Congress sticks to its guns on the issue, Joshi said, “I don’t think so.” The minister, however, insisted that other parties are also of the view that he should apologise.
New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party MPs Jaya Bachchan and Ram Gopal Yadav, DMK MP TR Baalu, JKNC MP Farooq Abdullah and fellow opposition MPs form a human chain to protest over the Adani issue, at Parliament House complex in New Delhi, Thursday, March 16, 2023. (PTI Photo/Kamal Singh)
New Delhi: AAP MP Sanjay Singh, RJD MP Manoj Jha, JD (U) MP Lalan Singh and fellow opposition MPs form a human chain to protest over the Adani issue, at Parliament House complex in New Delhi, Thursday, March 16, 2023. (PTI Photo/Kamal Singh)New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party MPs Jaya Bachchan and Ram Gopal Yadav, DMK MP TR Baalu, JKNC MP Farooq Abdullah and fellow opposition MPs form a human chain to protest over the Adani issue, at Parliament House complex in New Delhi, Thursday, March 16, 2023. (PTI Photo/Kamal Singh)New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, AAP MP Sanjay Singh and fellow opposition MPs form a human chain to protest over the Adani issue, at Parliament House complex in New Delhi, Thursday, March 16, 2023. (PTI Photo/Kamal Singh)
New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday accused the government of instigating the Opposition and not letting Parliament function to avoid a discussion on the Adani issue and its “failures”.
He also reiterated that there is no question of an apology over Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in the UK.
Gandhi’s remarks during his recent trip to the United Kingdom have rocked Parliament, with both Houses failing to transact any significant business on the first three days of the Budget session’s second half.
“Is there untouchability or not, it is there, so if someone goes abroad that person will talk about it likewise democracy is being trampled upon, we were demonstrating peacefully yesterday, who stopped us? They put women constables in the front to try and stop us,” Kharge alleged.
The Congress along with several other opposition parties had taken out a protest march from Parliament House to hand over a complaint to the Enforcement Directorate on the Adani issue on Wednesday. However, they were stopped by the police at Vijay Chowk here.
The government’s intention is to avoid the Adani issue, so that it is not discussed, and their “failures” are not discussed in Parliament, the Congress president told reporters ahead of the start of parliamentary proceedings in the morning.
“Have you ever heard that ruling party people are stalling proceedings daily, they get up first and start saying ‘maafi maango’, ‘maafi maango’ (apologise), what is this. The government is instigating and they preach about democracy to others,” he said.
During his interactions in the UK, Gandhi alleged that the structures of Indian democracy are under attack and there is a “full-scale assault” on the country’s institutions.
The former Congress president also told British parliamentarians in London that microphones are often “turned off” in Lok Sabha when an opposition member raises important issues.
Gandhi’s remarks triggered a political slugfest, with the BJP accusing him of maligning India on foreign soil and seeking foreign intervention, and the Congress hitting back at the ruling party by citing instances of Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising internal politics abroad.
New Delhi: BJP leader and practicing lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay moved a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Delhi High Court on Wednesday seeking compulsory voting in Parliament and Assembly elections.
With an aim to increase the voters’ turnout, promote political participation, improve the quality of democracy and to secure the right to vote, the petitioner also sought direction from the Law Commission to prepare a report on ‘Compulsory Voting’.
According to his plea, the low voter turnout is a persistent problem in India and compulsory voting can help resolve this, particularly among marginalised communities.
“It ensures that every citizen has a voice and that the government is representative of the people’s wishes. When voter turnout is high, the government is more accountable to the people and is more likely to act in their best interests,” the PIL stated.
“Compulsory voting ensures that the elected representatives are chosen by a larger and more representative group of people. This increases the legitimacy of the government and enhances the quality of democracy,” the plea further stated.
It has been said that when voter turnout is low, the government may not be representative of the people’s wishes, and this can lead to a lack of trust in the democratic process.
“Compulsory voting can help to ensure that the government is truly representative of the people,” it said.
The plea further stated that ‘Compulsory Voting’ is in practice in many countries.
“The Constitution provides for the right to vote as a fundamental right under Article 326. This right is subject to reasonable restrictions imposed by law. Compulsory voting can be implemented as reasonable restriction in the interest of ensuring the smooth functioning of democracy. The Supreme Court has also held that the right to vote is a statutory right, and the government has the power to impose reasonable restrictions on this right,” it added.
PARIS — Emmanuel Macron’s government faces several motions of no confidence in the National Assembly Monday after his government forced through a deeply unpopular pensions reform bill last week.
Protesters took to the streets in major cities over the weekend, after the government invoked a controversial constitutional maneuver to pass its pensions reform bill in what was widely seen as a move likely to inflame social unrest. Industrial action is expected to disrupt public transport, refineries, universities and waste collection this week, as trade unions hope to strong-arm the government into withdrawing the pensions reform.
On Saturday, more than 100 people were arrested in Paris after a demonstration by several thousand protesters against the reform turned violent.
The 573 lawmakers of the French National Assembly will vote on two motions of no confidence Monday which could trigger the resignation of Macron’s Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and her government. Though the French president would not be forced to resign in case of a defeat, a successful motion of no confidence would trigger a deep political crisis for Macron.
On Saturday, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the reform was “vital” for the country and called on MPs to “face their responsibilities,” in an interview with Le Parisien.
“There will be no majority to bring the government down, but it will be a moment of truth,” Le Maire said with the reference to the votes on Monday. “Is it a good idea to overthrow the government and cause political disorder over the pensions reforms? The answer is clearly no,” he added.
Macron wants to increase the legal age of retirement to 64 from 62 and extend contributions for a full pension in order to balance the accounts of the pensions system. The reform is a cornerstone of the French president’s second mandate and failure to pass it would have repercussions for the rest of his mandate.
Amid scenes of anger and rebellion in parliament, his trusted lieutenant Borne announced on Thursday the government had decided to invoke Article 49.3 of the constitution to pass legislation without a vote, putting an end to weeks of heated and acrimonious debate. Invoking Article 49.3, however, allowed lawmakers to table a motion of no confidence within 24 hours.
All eyes on the conservatives
Macron’s Renaissance party lost its majority in the National Assembly in parliamentary elections last year and has faced several motions of no confidence in recent months. In a sign of the deepening crisis in France, it is the first time that the several opposition parties have tabled a motion of no confidence together.
On Friday a small centrist opposition group submitted a cross-party motion supported by leftwing parties, which is also expected get the support of the far right National Rally, after RN leader Marine Le Pen announced that her party would vote for “all the motions of no confidence.”
“A vote on this motion will enable us to put an honorable end to a deep political crisis,” said the centrist MP Bertrand Pancher as he submitted the motion.
A police officer attempts to extinguish flames at the entrance of the town hall of the 4th arrondissement of Lyon | Jeff Pachoud/AFP via Getty Images
Macron’s opponents need the backing of 287 MPs to topple the government — a bar they are not likely to pass given the deep political divisions in parliament. The National Assembly is split between Macron’s Renaissance coalition, the far-right National Rally and the left-wing Nupes coalition.
In addition to getting the backing of the left and the far right, a cross-party motion would need the support of 27 conservative Les Républicains lawmakers to pass. But only 10 are planning to vote for the motion, said a conservative MP who wanted to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the topic in an interview with Playbook Paris.
MPs are also expected to vote on a second motion of no confidence submitted by the National Rally, that is widely seen as unlikely to pass.
If the government survives the votes on Monday, it will still face a wave of protests this week and the risk of more social unrest. On Friday, the hard left CGT trade union called for “visible actions” ahead of a day of nationwide protests and strikes planned for Thursday.
[ad_2]
#Macron #faces #noconfidence #votes #nationwide #protests
( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron will face a moment of reckoning Thursday as lawmakers gear up for a final vote on the government’s deeply unpopular pension reform.
The controversial bill, a centerpiece of Macron’s second term, has sparked weeks of nationwide protests led by trade unions and faced intense criticism from both the far left and the far right in the National Assembly.
The French president wants to increase the legal age of retirement to 64 from 62 and extend contributions for a full pension in an effort to balance the accounts of France’s state pensions system — among the most generous in the world. According to projections from France’s Council of Pensions Planning, the finances of the pensions system are balanced in the short term but will go into deficit in the long term.
Despite government concessions on various aspects of the bill in recent weeks, opposition to the reform remains very high, with polls saying two-thirds of French citizens oppose it.
Speculation is running high that Macron might not have enough support in the National Assembly, and may choose a constitutional maneuver to bypass parliament — in a move that could unleash a political storm in France.
On Thursday, the French Senate and the National Assembly are expected to cast a crucial vote on the second reading of the bill, after the Senate voted in favor last week. The outcome will determine the shape of Macron’s second term and stands to bear heavily on his legacy.
The worst case: Macron loses the vote in parliament
Losing the parliamentary vote would be a stunning defeat for the French president, who pinned his bid for a second term on his promises to reform France’s pensions system. But political commentators have been speculating in recent days that Macron’s Renaissance party doesn’t have enough votes to pass the bill.
The French president lost its absolute majority in the National Assembly in parliamentary elections last June. He has since been forced into making ad-hoc deals with MPs from France’s conservative party Les Républicains. But the once-mighty conservatives appear split on the reform, despite assurances this week from their leader Olivier Marleix that there was “a clear majority” backing the bill.
A defeat in parliament would have seismic and long-term repercussions for Macron’s second term and it is likely that the president’s trusted lieutenant Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne would have to resign in such a scenario. Party heavyweights however say they will not shy away from seeking a vote.
“There will be a vote, we want a vote, everyone must take its responsibilities,” said Aurore Bergé, leader of the Renaissance group in the National Assembly.
“There can be an accident … we’ll manage it as we can,” admitted Jean-Paul Mattei, a centrist MP who belongs to Macron’s coalition, with reference to a defeat in parliament.
However, this is the most unlikely scenario as expectations are that the government will bypass a vote if they sense that they are short on votes.
Protestors hold an effigy of French President Emmanuel Macron, during a demonstration on the 8th day of strikes and protests across the country against the government’s proposed pensions overhaul in Paris on March 15, 2023 | Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images
Pretty bad: Macron bypasses parliament and loses credibility
In the face of a potential defeat in the National Assembly, Macron has a nuclear option: invoke article 49.3 of the French constitution. This mechanism allows the government to force through legislation without submitting it to a vote.
While the constitutional maneuver may seem like an easy way out, it’s a highly risky move as it allows lawmakers to table a motion of no confidence within 24 hours. Macron’s government has faced down motions of no confidence in the past but the stakes are much higher this time around.
Beyond surviving a motion of no-confidence, Macron and Borne will also come under fire for refusing to submit to the democratic process.
According to Frédéric Dabi, general director of the IFOP polling institute, the impact on public opinion if the government uses the 49.3 article as opposed to passing a tight vote in parliament would be “radically different.”
“Public opinions on the 49.3 article have changed … it is regarded as a tool to brutalize the National Assembly: it’s now seen as authoritarian instead of merely authoritative. People want more transparency, more democracy today,” he said.
France’s hardline unions would no doubt use this to stoke unrest and call for further strike action.
Trade union leader Laurent Berger has warned the government against using the 49.3 article, saying that it would be “incredible and dangerous.”
“Nobody can predict what will happen, the protest movement seems to be running out of steam, but if the government invokes article 49.3 it could be read as forcing the issue and may relaunch the protest movement,” said Dabi.
Still not great: Macron wins vote but faces mass protests
If the French president wins the vote in parliament, it’ll be seen as a victory but one that may completely drain his political capital, and whip up protests on the streets.
“It’ll be a victory for Macron, but it’ll only bear its fruit in the long term. In the short term, he’ll face a tense country where relations have become very strained,” said Chloé Morin, a writer and political analyst.
Trade union leader Berger has said that he would “take on board” the result of Thursday’s vote in parliament. But protests, which have been almost weekly since January, may continue nonetheless across the country in an effort to force the government into backing down and withdrawing the text.
Morin thinks it is unlikely there will be “an explosion of protests” after the vote as people are resigned to seeing it pass.
French police officers intervene during a protest by local council employees against the government’s retirement reform in front on the prefecture in Seine Saint-Denis, in Bobigny, a surburb of Paris on March 14, 2023 | Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images
“However, the protest movement might become more radical with lightning protests or sabotages, led by a minority in the citizens’ movement,” said Morin.
In October last year, industrial action in France’s refineries led to nationwide shortages at petrol stations, forcing the government to intervene in what was seen as Macron’s biggest challenge since his re-election last year.
There are dangerous precedents for Macron too. In December 2019, the government was forced to abandon a new green tax when faced with the explosive Yellow Vests protests that shook the political establishment.
[ad_2]
#Macron #brink #French #pensions #revolt #wreck #presidency
( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )
