Nepal: As Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba explored a power-sharing agreement with the coalition partner Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda,” President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Sunday urged all Nepalese political parties to create a new government within seven days.
Following the Election Commission’s submission of a report detailing the results of the House of Representatives (HoR) and Provincial Assembly elections held on November 20, the President made the call.
The President has asked for the submission of a claim by a member of the HoR who can win a majority with support from two or more parties, as required by Article 76 clause 2 of the Constitution, as no one party won a majority in the HoR election.
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Press release from the Office of the President states:
According to a press release from the Office of the President, the claim must be submitted by December 25 at 5 p.m.
The 138 seats needed to establish a government in the 275-member House of Representatives are not held by any party.
The opposition CPN-UML came in second with 78 seats, followed by the Nepali Congress (NC) under Deuba with 89 seats, and the CPN-Maoist Centre under Prachanda with 32 seats.
There are 20 seats for the recently founded Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), 14 for the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, 12 for the Janata Samajwadi Party, and 6 for the Janamat Party.
The Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (LSP) has four seats, the Nagarik Unmukti Party has three seats, and the CPN (Unified Socialist) has ten seats. There is one seat each for Rastriya Janamorcha and Nepal Workers and Peasants Party. The Lower House has five independent MPs.
The Nepali Congress falls two seats shy of forming a majority government with the other ruling parties’ combined strength of 136 MPs.
Amidst frantic negotiations between political parties, the President has called for the formation of a new government.
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Prime Minister Deuba met Prachanda on Saturday at the PM’s official residence
According to party sources, Prime Minister Deuba met Prachanda on Saturday at the PM’s official residence in Baluwatar and they discussed, among other things, the creation of the new administration and power sharing.
In a meeting with Deuba, Prachanda reportedly asked for his assistance in order to become prime minister during the first two years of the five-year term, according to a story in the Kathmandu Post daily.
According to reports, Deuba and Prachanda agreed to take turns as prime ministers as they formed an electoral coalition before the elections on November 20.
While Prachanda’s proposal was to be expected, Nepali Congress, which won the most electoral votes, should be in charge of the administration, according to Mahat.
According to CPN-MC chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha, when asked if Prachanda approached Deuba for his support in becoming the new prime minister, Deuba said that all coalition members should make that decision within their individual organisations.
Since well before the elections, Prachanda has projected himself as a candidate for the executive head in public forums.
According to a source close to Deuba, who is widely expected to win the election to become prime minister for the sixth time, Prachanda has not received a firm response.
There are several candidates for prime minister in the ruling coalition, which has opted to form the next government in its entirety, particularly from the Nepali Congress.
At least a half-dozen senior Nepali Congress politicians declared throughout the election campaign that they intended to run for prime minister if they won.
According to the party constitution, the Congress is having trouble choosing its parliamentary party leader.
The CPN-UML led by former premier K P Sharma Oli began courting Prachanda with a promise of backing for his prime ministerial campaign, sources informed The Kathmandu Post. Despite his party obtaining fewer seats this time, Prachanda was encouraged to stake his claim to the leadership of a new coalition.
Prachanda previously asserted that his party holds the key to building the following government.
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