New Nepal Government likely in two weeks
Surya B. Prasai
April 19, 2008
With the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists bagging 30% of the proportional votes and sweeping the first past the post votes with an overwhelming majority, it is now likely that the new Nepal Government will be announced soon, most probably in two weeks time. This will likely take the shape of a democratic coalition manned by political heavyweights and subject experts, though the Maoists have already indicated they will take the choice ministries denied them earlier. The Nepal Election Commission hopes to declare the final results within 10 days, while preparation are ongoing to convene the first CA session within three weeks time. The Birendra International Convention Center is being readied for the occasion. The CA Poll results have been accepted by all parties and Nepal´s Election Commission has been tallying them with situational reports from the Carter Center, UNMIN, EU, ANFRIL the Japanese CA Observation group and others.
According to close CPN-M sources, Chairman Prachanda, Dr Babu Ram Bhattarai, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, C.P. Gajurel and others are in intensive discussion with other party leaders on the formation of a new coalition government. Though the Maoists have got an overwhelming win, they plan to induct both big and small parties. Though newly born formidable parties such as the Madhesi Jan Adhikar Forum had given CPN-M stiff competition in the Terai by winning a formidable number of CA seats, CPN-M´s Bhattarai has not ruled out working with them as well in the near future.
A repeat NC-Maoist meeting held at Baluwatar yesterday, in which Prime Minister Koirala was present, did not yield further NC feedback. It is learnt PM Koirala is not fully committed to NC presence in the new Maoist led cabinet, sticking to the original NC position that YCL be dissolved and CPN-M present itself as a full fledged democratic political party worthy of such coalition leadership. However, second generation NC leaders have been pressuring Koirala to participate in the new cabinet, despite NC´s weak poll show. Former Premier Sher Bahadur Deuba is known to oppose NC participation in a leftist government. Madhav Kumar Nepal, outgoing General Secretary of UML has also conveyed the same position to Maoist leaders, unless the UML leadership decide otherwise early next week.
Meanwhile C.P. Gajurel, CPN-M´s foreign affairs and international division head, has spelt out his party´s position that it does not favor the renewal of UNMIN which expires in June 2008. The UN Security Council had given UNMIN a crucial extension before the CA Poll period. Gajurel´s thinking is an old Maoist position which is well known to UNMIN´s head. The Maoists have indicated that they prefer to undertake their own rapport building and integration initiatives with the Nepal Army concerning the PLA troop integration issue. Similarly Gajurel has indicated his party´s eagerness to improve ties with India and also establish good relations with the United States. Babu Ram Bhattarai recently indicated that it would be ideal for NC to have about 100,000 regular troops to match Nepal´s territorial security needs in future. However, given that UN peacekeeping demands are rising globally, it might call a heavier Nepali troop commitment in future. NA has been winning UN laurels in international peacekeeping for more than four decades.
Other Nepali political party leaders including NC are also known to share Gajurel´s thinking on UNMIN, since is mandate was to monitor the peace process until the CA polls were conducted. Currently, CPN-M and other parties are doing serious study on UNMIN´s achievements and failures to date at a time when the latter have again intensified diplomatic lobbying in Kathmandu and New York.
To bolster UNMIN´s Baluwatar diplomacy, Ian Martin had met Prime Minister Koirala yesterday. Martin tried to persuade Koirala that the UN mandate was still required since it had played an important role leading to the Constituent Assembly (CA) Poll and to build lasting peace in the country. Martin even gave PM Koirala a note from UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon congratulating him on the historic achievement and also detailed out UNMIN´s activities to date. After facing geopolitical pressure from India and China in the UN Security Council, UNMIN had to resort to several staff shake-ups, staff departures and new appointments, and re-tailoring of mission objectives. Some of Nepal´s senior politicians are of the view that UNMIN should be treated in equal terms as the Carter Center and the EU which have not interfered in Nepali politics but rather supported the peace and electoral process recently. However, Ian Martin is known to have excellent ties with the Nepali political leaders and they have generally supported him in two previous UNMIN term renewals, though the last one from the Koirala government came through begrudgingly.
In fact, President Carter termed Nepal´s democratic elections a model for other countries to emulate while the EU mentioned, it had surpassed its own stringent international electoral standards.
According to close CPN-M sources, Chairman Prachanda, Dr Babu Ram Bhattarai, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, C.P. Gajurel and others are in intensive discussion with other party leaders on the formation of a new coalition government. Though the Maoists have got an overwhelming win, they plan to induct both big and small parties. Though newly born formidable parties such as the Madhesi Jan Adhikar Forum had given CPN-M stiff competition in the Terai by winning a formidable number of CA seats, CPN-M´s Bhattarai has not ruled out working with them as well in the near future.
A repeat NC-Maoist meeting held at Baluwatar yesterday, in which Prime Minister Koirala was present, did not yield further NC feedback. It is learnt PM Koirala is not fully committed to NC presence in the new Maoist led cabinet, sticking to the original NC position that YCL be dissolved and CPN-M present itself as a full fledged democratic political party worthy of such coalition leadership. However, second generation NC leaders have been pressuring Koirala to participate in the new cabinet, despite NC´s weak poll show. Former Premier Sher Bahadur Deuba is known to oppose NC participation in a leftist government. Madhav Kumar Nepal, outgoing General Secretary of UML has also conveyed the same position to Maoist leaders, unless the UML leadership decide otherwise early next week.
Meanwhile C.P. Gajurel, CPN-M´s foreign affairs and international division head, has spelt out his party´s position that it does not favor the renewal of UNMIN which expires in June 2008. The UN Security Council had given UNMIN a crucial extension before the CA Poll period. Gajurel´s thinking is an old Maoist position which is well known to UNMIN´s head. The Maoists have indicated that they prefer to undertake their own rapport building and integration initiatives with the Nepal Army concerning the PLA troop integration issue. Similarly Gajurel has indicated his party´s eagerness to improve ties with India and also establish good relations with the United States. Babu Ram Bhattarai recently indicated that it would be ideal for NC to have about 100,000 regular troops to match Nepal´s territorial security needs in future. However, given that UN peacekeeping demands are rising globally, it might call a heavier Nepali troop commitment in future. NA has been winning UN laurels in international peacekeeping for more than four decades.
Other Nepali political party leaders including NC are also known to share Gajurel´s thinking on UNMIN, since is mandate was to monitor the peace process until the CA polls were conducted. Currently, CPN-M and other parties are doing serious study on UNMIN´s achievements and failures to date at a time when the latter have again intensified diplomatic lobbying in Kathmandu and New York.
To bolster UNMIN´s Baluwatar diplomacy, Ian Martin had met Prime Minister Koirala yesterday. Martin tried to persuade Koirala that the UN mandate was still required since it had played an important role leading to the Constituent Assembly (CA) Poll and to build lasting peace in the country. Martin even gave PM Koirala a note from UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon congratulating him on the historic achievement and also detailed out UNMIN´s activities to date. After facing geopolitical pressure from India and China in the UN Security Council, UNMIN had to resort to several staff shake-ups, staff departures and new appointments, and re-tailoring of mission objectives. Some of Nepal´s senior politicians are of the view that UNMIN should be treated in equal terms as the Carter Center and the EU which have not interfered in Nepali politics but rather supported the peace and electoral process recently. However, Ian Martin is known to have excellent ties with the Nepali political leaders and they have generally supported him in two previous UNMIN term renewals, though the last one from the Koirala government came through begrudgingly.
In fact, President Carter termed Nepal´s democratic elections a model for other countries to emulate while the EU mentioned, it had surpassed its own stringent international electoral standards.
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