Kathmandu: Nepal`s major parties on Saturday
stepped up consultations in a bid to form a national
government, but failed to find a consensus to meet a July 7
presidential deadline so as end the constitutional crisis
created by the resignation of the Prime Minister.
Main opposition Unified CPN-Maoist, the largest party
in the 601-member Constituent Assembly with nearly 40 percent
seats, today held talks with the Nepali Congress party over
the leadership of a national government.
Senior leaders in the Nepali Congress, the second
largest party in the House, have staked its claim to lead a
new government.
Ram Chandra Poudel, the Nepali Congress vice president
expressed the hope that they would make headway by July 7, the
deadlined set by President Ram Baran Yadav for the political
parties to suggest a name for post of the Prime Minister.
"We urged the Maoists to implement the first point of
the three-point deal struck on May 28 at the earliest after
the Prime Minister’s resignation," he was quoted as saying by
the Himalayan Times online today.
Narayankaji Shrestha, the Maoist vice chairman, said
the discussion centred on the peace process and drafting of a
new constitution.
Nepali Congress acting president Sushil Koirala,
Maoists chairman Prachanda and his deputy leader Baburam
Bhattarai took part in the crucial meeting.
The Maoists party and the CPN-UML, which is heading
the caretaker governemnt, held talks to form a new coalition,
but failed to make any headway as both the parties claimed
leadership of a future coalition.
"As the Maoists are the largest party....the new
government formed under the Maoist leadership would be a true
national consensus government, Bhattarai said.
The Maoist party has set up a three-member committee
led by party supremo Prachanda to form a national consensus
government under its leadership.
Political parties have been given a July 7 deadline by
the President to recommend the name of a new Prime Minister
following the resignation of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal
on June 30.
Nepal tendered his resignation after 13 months of
intense pressure from the Maoists to step down. It had
announced its decision to block the budget session of the
Parliament scheduled to be held on July 5 if he did not quit.
The Maoists, who ended their decade-long civil war in
2006, is under pressure from Nepali Congress and CPN-UML to
dissolve the paramilitary organisation of its youth wing, the
Young Communist League, return seized property and to finalise
the numbers and the timeframe for the integration of its
former combatants with the security forces before forming a
new government.
PTI
