Oli, Dahal discuss government formation

CPN -UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, the PM in-waiting, and CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal held a meeting on Monday to discuss the new government formation, according to a report in The Kathmandu Post.

During the meeting, the duo discussed the formation of the new government and party unification among other issues, Chetan Adhikari, press coordinator of the UML Chairman Oli, informed.

Earlier, these leaders decided to become prime ministers by turns.

According to the reports, CPN-UML leaders have offered to make CPN-Maoist Centre chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal the prime minister for two-and-a-half years after UML Chair KP Sharma Oli completes two-and-a-half years as prime minister, The Himalayan Times has reported on Monday.

UML Chair KP Sharma Oli held a meeting with senior leaders of the party — Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhalanath Khanal, Bamdev Gautam and Subas Chandra Nembang — and decided to offer premiership to Dahal for two-and-a-half years.

UML leaders reached this conclusion after CPN-MC Chair Dahal said in Chitwan that he was ready to make a totally new move if needed to achieve goals of prosperity and stability in the country.

Earlier, the UML was unwilling to share any of the three key posts — the PM, president or unified party’s chairperson — with the CPN-MC. “The unification process is moving in a positive direction after UML leaders agreed to share power with us,” a CPN-MC leader quoted Dahal as saying. “Party unification will be announced within a few days after forging consensus,” Khanal said.

According to Khanal, UML leaders have reached understanding that they will not be rigid on organisational structure, while the two parties try to adopt a common political ideology.

Oli and Dahal will hold a meeting soon and will call a Party Unity Coordination Committee meeting to iron out differences on key issues.

CPN-MC leader Narayan Dahal said people’s multi-party democracy would not be acceptable to the CPN-MC. Narayan Dahal said old ideologies of the UML and CPN-MC will give way to a new ideology. “We should formulate new ideology to reach socialism. The old ideologies were formulated to achieve people’s democracy,” he added.

UML and CPN-MC had forged an electoral alliance and had fielded candidates in parliamentary and provincial elections in a ratio of 60:40. A task force formed by the left alliance has been working on a common minimum programme of the new government on the basis of their joint election manifesto.

They had also reached understanding on sharing top posts in provinces in 70:30 ratio, with the lion’s share going to the CPN-UML