The proposal was floated at the meeting participated by UCPN (Maoist), NC, CPN-UML and United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) on Friday. [break]
A meeting participated by the same political parties on Wednesday had decided to go for fresh elections for a constituent assembly (CA), form an election government and not revive the dissolved CA that had failed to draft a constitution.
CPN-UML leader and former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said his party proposed NC´s leadership as per the agreement reached among the major political parties before the CA saw its demise in May.
"We on our [UML´s] part proposed NC´s leadership for the next government and the UCPN (Maoist) and Madhes-based parties are yet to respond to the proposal," Nepal told Republica.
All three top leaders from the CPN-UML -- Chairman Jhalanath Khanal, former prime minister Nepal and KP Sharma Oli-- were present at the talks but Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai from the UCPN (Maoist) and NC President Sushil Koirala were absent.
Vice-president Narayankaji Shrestha, Amik Sherchan and Agni Sapkota from the Maoist party, former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Vice-president Ram Chandra Paudel and General Secretary Krishna Sitaula from the NC also attended the talks.
Leaders from the NC and UML queried about the Maoist leaders´ public statements that the present government would be holding the election. "Maoist as well as ruling Madhesi party leaders, mainly Minister for Health Rajendra Mahato, then made it clear that that was not their intention and they were ready for a new election government," said Sitaula.
Also, former prime minister Nepal proposed at the meeting that elections for the CA and the local bodies should be held simultaneously, in the month of Baisakh [mid-April to mid-May].
"I myself proposed holding both elections simultaneously," said Nepal.
The local bodies have remained without elected political representatives for a decade as successive governments during those years failed to hold local elections.
The party leaders then decided to reach a deal in a package on issues related to government formation and amendment of election-related provisions in the constitution and laws, among other matters.
NC Vice-president Paudel, emerging from the meeting, said they talked broadly about the issues related to formation of a national consensus and elected-related issues. "We insisted that a consensus government should be formed first," said Paudel.
Leaders from the UCPN (Maoist) made it clear at the talks that they were not insisting on giving continuity to the present government and were ready for the option of forming an election-government through consensus.
"There are many things to be done to lay the ground for elections, such as amendment of election-related provisions in the constitution and laws, fixing the number of constituencies and formation of the government. So we have agreed to deal with all these matters in a package," said UCPN (Maoist) Spokesman Agni Prasad Sapkota.
In one of the understandings reached among the major parties before the CA saw its demise in May, the political leaders had agreed to form a consensus government under NC´s leadership to promulgate the new constitution.
As per the same agreement, NC General Secretary Sitaula and CPN-UML General Secretary Ishwar Pokharel had led teams from their respective parties to join the Baburam Bhattarai-led coalition. But they withdrew from the government within a couple of days following serious disputes over the federal model and other thorny issues of constitution writing.
Related story
UML takes the lead in two sub-metropolitan cities in Dang
_20230205122050.jpg)
