As deadline ends, consensus government elusive in Nepal
Kathmandu, Nepal (AHN) – A last ditch effort to form a national consensus government to carry on Nepal’s derailed peace process faced another jolt on Wednesday as Nepal’s major political parties failed to reach any tangible conclusion by the deadline set by President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav.
A meeting among the three major political parties’ – UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress and CPN-UML- hours before the expiration of the deadline to form a unity government could not yield any results. The top brass of the parties have spent nearly a year attempting to make headway by narrowing the differences that have been surfaced following the resignation of caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal six months ago.
“We could not agree on new government leadership,” said UML leader K.P. Oli.
Leaders expressed hope that they will arrive in a conclusion soon. However, according to the new parliamentary procedures, parties have to go for voting, which they have been trying to avert for the past few days.
The president, who is scheduled to embark on a 10-day trip to India on Thursday, will extend the deadline another couple of weeks in hopes of forming a government on a majority basis, which is the only alternative remaining.
“We will hold the talks. We have been trying to sort out the differences,” NC leader Ram Chandra Poudel said after the meeting. The push among the parties on power sharing issues has become a bone of contention as two other parties, Congress and UML, refuse to hand over power to the Maoists until completion of the peace process.
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