Tribhuvan University has decided to hold the Free Students’ Union (FSU) election by mid-May. The TU, after a meeting with leaders of major three student unions on Thursday, took the decision.

Owing to the differences over the election modality among student unions, the university was unable to fix the date for the poll. According to TU Rector Guna Nidhi Neupane, the polling day will be announced within a week after a meeting with the university executive committee.

If the student unions cannot find a meeting point on the election modality within two weeks, the TU will adopt the first-past-the-post system. Stating that only the proportional system can guarantee inclusive representation of students from all the communities in the present context, 11 student unions, including the Maoist-aligned ANNISU-R and those affiliated to Madhes-based parties, have been advocating for the modality.

Six other unions, including the Nepal Students Union and the All Nepal National Free Students Union, are not convinced of the proportional system. While the NSU and the ANNFSU (Sixth) want continuation of the first-past-the-post system, the ANNFSU is pitching for two mechanisms—an FSU Council based on proportional system and a directly elected FSU.

“All the unions are ready to go for the direct system if there is no unanimity on the modality,” Neupane said.

source: The Kathmandu Post, 29 March 2012