KATHMANDU, Jan 11: President Dr Ram Baran Yadav held a meeting with leaders of 19 political parties that were represented in the erstwhile Constituent Assembly, at his office in Shital Niwas on Friday.
During the meeting, the president urged the leaders to forge consensus ‘so that the outstanding issues including political uncertainty and constitutional hurdles don’t get further complicated,” the president’s office said in a press statement. [break]
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Nepali Congress senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal and Terai Madhes Democratic Party Chairman Mahanta Thakur, among others, were present in the meeting.
The parties have persistently failed to name their common prime ministerial candidate to lead consensus government. Upon the parties’ request, the president extended the deadline for consensus till January 14, on Thursday.