KATHMANDU, Oct 13: Main two ruling coalition partners have intensified inter-party negotiations on power sharing for the major posts including that of the president, vice-president, speaker, deputy speaker and key ministerial portfolios such as home and finance, among other ministries, that are vacant so far.
Top leaders from the two largest ruling parties -- CPN-UML and UCPN (Maoist) -- have been holding talks on sharing power among the partners and nominating the candidates for the country’s high-profile positions.
As the UCPN (Maoist) has become interested to head powerful and lucrative ministries instead of choosing the presidential post for the party, the UML is likely to bag the post of head of the state.
As per the political understanding reached among the major political forces in the past, the president was supposed to be elected from the largest party, the Nepali Congress (NC).
But with the NC fielding its own leader against UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, the largest party has remained out of the ruling coalition and the UML and UCPN (Maoist) have reportedly decided to elect the top posts on their own.
NCP (Dahal-Nepal faction) leaders hold meeting with JSP leaders...
On the other hand, the NC hasn’t taken any decision to contest for the post of president and other major portfolios so far.
“We, in our party, are yet to discuss this matter. We will take a decision after discussion within the party,” NC General Secretary Prakash Man Singh told Republica.
With the NC remaining out of the coalition and the UCPN (Maoist) being reluctant to contest for the presidential post, the UML is likely to contest for the position.
“We haven’t claimed for the presidential post,” said UCPN (Maoist) Secretary Barshaman Pun.
Two UML leaders are widely viewed as possible candidates for the head of state.
UML leaders said the party is likely to field either incumbent Speaker Subas Nembang or party vice-chair Bidyadevi Bhandari.
Leaders claimed that Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has proposed Bhandari for the post while a section of the same party finds Nembang, who successfully completed the task of constitution making, more suitable for the top post.
Some leaders find Bhandari, being a woman with her own active political journey, as suitable candidate, while Nembang represents an ethnic community.
With the new constitution making it mandatory to initiate the process to elect speaker, deputy speaker, president and vice-president within one month after promulgation of the statute, the leaders are in pressure to settle these issues within days.
Leaders want to resolve the overall power-sharing issues in a package.
Among other ministries, the UML and UCPN (Maoist) have reached an understanding that the prime minister’s party will head the finance ministry and the Maoist party to head home ministry, another key ministry. The parties are still negotiating on other ministries.
“Since we have become ready to forgo the president for the UML, it is certain that we will head ministries of home, local development, agriculture, general administration, commerce and forest,” said Pun. “We have also claimed ministries of energy, tourism, education and health.”
It was expected that the prime minister would appoint home and finance ministers on Monday when he took oath of office and secrecy. But, since the parties couldn’t decide the candidates, it was deferred and ministers for other portfolios were appointed.
UML leaders haven’t been able to pick candidate for finance minister. Bishnu Paudel was widely expected to head the ministry but also other names, including former Finance Minister Surendra Pandey, are assumed to be likely contenders. Top UML leaders want to induct Bhim Rawal in the government but he is reportedly interested to head either home or foreign ministry. But both the portfolios have gone to other partners.
Among the UCPN (Maoist), the party’s general secretary Krishna Bahadur Mahara is interested to head the home ministry while the party wanted to make him the speaker. Other leaders, including Top Bahadur Raymajhi, have been lobbying for the home ministry.
