The resignation of Prime Minister Nepal is very much unlikely unless the three parties -- UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress and CPN-UML -- find a consensus candidate to head the proposed national consensus government, besides forging an agreement on concrete work plan with time frame to take the ongoing peace process to a logical end and promulgate a new constitution. [break]
“We are not working out to form a majority government to replace the incumbent government,” said a senior NC leader, asking to be unnamed. “The Maoist decision to stick to a single candidate for the prime ministerial berth has dampened the possibility of forming national consensus government anytime soon.”
The Maoist had first announced the name of Chairman Dahal as the candidate of the party to head national consensus government.
On May 11, after the general strike fiasco, the Maoist Standing Committee decided to be open about a party leader other than Dahal if other parties agreed to the formation of a national consensus government. Dahal had also publicly stated that his party was ready to accept any party or leader to head such a government.
However, an office bearers´ meeting of the party on Thursday and the party´s standing committee meeting a day later decided that Dahal was the sole candidate for the ministerial post.
UML leader Pradip Gyawali argued that the Maoist position has become a stumbling block to resolving the current political deadlock. “Other parties are also likely to make their own position on the issue of prime ministerial candidate [of the proposed national consensus government],” he said.
Though the non-Maoist parties have stated that they are not averse to the idea of forming national government headed by the Maoists -- the largest party in the Constituent Assembly -- they have maintained that the candidate must be acceptable to all parties.
“Nepal-led government is bound to stay in power for the next few weeks as Maoists have shown no signs of offering an alternative to consensus candidate,” the leader further said.
Two separate camps led by Chairman Dahal and Vice Chair Mohan Baidya in the Maoist party seem adamant on not leaving an option of the party´s Vice Chair Dr Baburam Bhattarai as the next prime minister open despite the fact that all other parties including Madhes-based parties have already hinted their support to him.
Though the NC -- second largest party in the CA -- is under immense pressure to take on the leadership mantle should the Maoists fail to propose a consensus candidate for the next prime minister, NC senior leaders privately admit that they are not in favor of replacing Nepal-led majority government with another majority government -- at least before the party´s upcoming 12th general convention scheduled for August 10-14.
NC leaders are apprehensive that whoever gets the prime ministerial berth would be elected party president. Acting President Sushil Koirala, backed by Vice president Ram Chandra Poudel and senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba are strong contenders for party president´s post.
Despite all these factors, it would, however, be a herculean task for the Nepal-led government to stay in power long enough.
The government has to get the budget for the fiscal 2010/11 endorsed before mid-July, which would be impossible without Maoist support. “The current government must go eventually," said a UML leader. "It is only a question of time when that will happen.”
koshraj@myrepublica.com
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