According to Chairman of CPN (Samyukta) Chandra Dev Joshi, the small parties, including the Madhes-based parties in the current coalition, have decided to hold talks with UML leaders after a meeting of 28 political parties scheduled for Sunday morning. [break]
Joshi, CPN-ML Chairman CP Mainali and Co-chairman of Rastriya Janashakti Party Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani have been entrusted the responsibility to facilitate the meeting with the UML.
During a meeting of coalition partners held at the NC headquarters in Sanepa Saturday afternoon, the parties univocally opined that they should keep current coalition intact for successful conclusion of the ongoing peace process and promulgation of a democratic constitution. UML leaders, however, remained absent in the meeting.
The small parties asked NC to ask UML leaders whether they want to form a government with the Maoists´ support or to keep the current alliance intact.
Talking to Republica, Joshi said the UML neither seems intent on forming a new government by isolating NC nor seems capable of bringing both Maoist and NC together. “We will ask the UML to present a clear stance at the meeting on Sunday,” he said.
RJP Co-chairman Lohani said the meeting concluded that there could be meaningful talks with the Maoists only if current alliance is kept intact. “We won´t be able to safeguard democracy if the current alliance is broken,” he said. “We will tell the UML that we won´t support them if they decide to take Maoist alone to form a new government.”
The small parties´ position is likely to put UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal - who has already begun consultations within the party to form new government under his leadership -- under pressure as his own party leaders have openly argued against the idea of forming a government with support from the Maoists alone.
Representatives from various 15 ruling parties, including Madhesi People´s Rights Forum-Democratic (MPRF-D), MPRF, Tarai Madhesi Democratic Party (TMDP), TMDP-Nepal, CPN-ML, CPN (Samyukta), Sadbhawana Party, Rastriya Janashakti Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party, were present in the meeting.
During the meeting, Chairman of the newly-formed TMDP-N Mahendra Yadav said that they would not support a Maoist-led government or a UML-headed government formed with support from Maoists alone.
According to NC leader Bimalendra Nidhi, the meeting took strong exception to UNMIN Chief Karin Landgren´s report in the UN Security Council that there could presidential rule or military coup. The meeting said it was “unbecoming” of Karin to make such statement.
Likewise, the ruling parties also argued against the Maoist proposal to form joint team to replace UNMIN to monitor the cantoned Maoist combatants and suggested that the Special Committee would be the best alternative mechanism to take over UNMIN´s role.
The meeting also discussed whether it was necessary to amend the existing parliamentary regulations before the next round of prime ministerial voting as Supreme Court verdict bars lawmakers from staying neutral in the prime ministerial voting.
Leaders at the meeting also decided to hold consultations with legal experts and the speaker as to what would be the legal ground to end the ongoing process to elect prime ministerial even if NC withdraws its candidacy.
“There must be some legal ground on the basis of which the speaker can announce the end of ongoing voting process,” said NC leader Nidhi. “The president can not ask the parties to start a new voting process as long as the ongoing process to elect a new prime minister is not brought to an end and duly informed to president.”
TMDP to vote for Poudel
A parliamentary party meeting of the TMDP-headed by Mahanta Thakur has decided to vote for the lone prime ministerial candidate Ram Chandra Poudel in the next round of voting.
Talking to Republica, joint general secretary of the party Jitendra Sonal said the meeting concluded that the candidacy of Poudel remains effective even after the government´s decision to prorogue House session.
Since the party can not stay neutral as per the Supreme Court´s verdict the party will vote for Poudel in the next round of voting in parliament, he said.
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