Kathmandu, A high-level meeting between Nepal's two largest parties, the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML, has given rise to fresh speculation that the days of the government led by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' are numbered .
Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba on Saturday visited the residence of Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) president and former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli, who is part of the ruling coalition, to discuss the latest political situation in Nepal. the politically fragile country.
Although details of the closed-door meeting have not been made public, there is speculation in some political circles that the two leaders may have discussed forming a new coalition government to oust Prachanda.
Oli, who is once again aspiring to be prime minister, was not happy with the recent budget allocations made by the government for the fiscal year 2024-25, which he had spoken about publicly.
However, sources close to Prime Minister Prachanda have dismissed "rumours about a change in the power equation", saying that the two main leaders of the ruling CPN-Maoist Center alliance, President Prachanda and the CPN-UML president, Oli, they are determined to continue the current coalition for longer. the full term.
Prachanda and Oli held two meetings on Sunday and Monday at the Prime Minister's office in Baluwatar during which "the two leaders discussed the latest political situation and ways to strengthen the current coalition government," the Prime Minister's press advisor said. Minister, Govinda Acharya.
The two leaders discussed ways to make the government's performance more efficient and advance the current coalition government in a consolidated manner, he said.
"There is no truth to the rumors about a change in the current coalition government and the formation of a new alliance," he added.
The two leaders agreed to include other political parties such as the Nagarik Unmukti Party, which voted in favor of the government during the vote of confidence in the government, he said.
Despite Prime Minister Prachanda giving a vote of confidence to Parliament three times during his one-and-a-half-year tenure, the country remains plagued by political instability, said Gunaraj Luitel, editor-in-chief of Nagarik Daily.
Political stability will be maintained only if the largest party in the Nepalese Parliament, the Congress, and the second largest party, CPN-UML, come together and share power, Luitel argued.
"It seems unnatural when the third largest party, the Maoist Centre, runs the government and the largest party, NC, is in the opposition," he added.
The Nepali Congress has 89 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives, while the CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist Center have secured 78 and 32 seats respectively.
Journalist Luitel, who closely follows leftist politics in the country, stated that serious talks were underway between the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML to find a way out of the current political uncertainty facing the country.
"If the two pillars of democracy, NC and UML, come together, politics will come into play and the much-needed stability of the country will be maintained," he said.
Some media reports suggest that Deuba and Oli agreed to share the remaining three years of Parliament's term between the two largest parties, NC and CPN-UML (a term of one and a half years for each party). Deuba has offered Oli to become prime minister in the first round and share the position successively.
Concerned about the closed-door meeting between Deuba and Oli, Prachanda went to meet Oli to assure him that the government is taking seriously the issues raised by the UML, including its concerns over the new budget, observers say.
Nepal has witnessed 13 governments in the last 16 years.
Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba on Saturday visited the residence of Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) president and former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli, who is part of the ruling coalition, to discuss the latest political situation in Nepal. the politically fragile country.
Although details of the closed-door meeting have not been made public, there is speculation in some political circles that the two leaders may have discussed forming a new coalition government to oust Prachanda.
Oli, who is once again aspiring to be prime minister, was not happy with the recent budget allocations made by the government for the fiscal year 2024-25, which he had spoken about publicly.
However, sources close to Prime Minister Prachanda have dismissed "rumours about a change in the power equation", saying that the two main leaders of the ruling CPN-Maoist Center alliance, President Prachanda and the CPN-UML president, Oli, they are determined to continue the current coalition for longer. the full term.
Prachanda and Oli held two meetings on Sunday and Monday at the Prime Minister's office in Baluwatar during which "the two leaders discussed the latest political situation and ways to strengthen the current coalition government," the Prime Minister's press advisor said. Minister, Govinda Acharya.
The two leaders discussed ways to make the government's performance more efficient and advance the current coalition government in a consolidated manner, he said.
"There is no truth to the rumors about a change in the current coalition government and the formation of a new alliance," he added.
The two leaders agreed to include other political parties such as the Nagarik Unmukti Party, which voted in favor of the government during the vote of confidence in the government, he said.
Despite Prime Minister Prachanda giving a vote of confidence to Parliament three times during his one-and-a-half-year tenure, the country remains plagued by political instability, said Gunaraj Luitel, editor-in-chief of Nagarik Daily.
Political stability will be maintained only if the largest party in the Nepalese Parliament, the Congress, and the second largest party, CPN-UML, come together and share power, Luitel argued.
"It seems unnatural when the third largest party, the Maoist Centre, runs the government and the largest party, NC, is in the opposition," he added.
The Nepali Congress has 89 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives, while the CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist Center have secured 78 and 32 seats respectively.
Journalist Luitel, who closely follows leftist politics in the country, stated that serious talks were underway between the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML to find a way out of the current political uncertainty facing the country.
"If the two pillars of democracy, NC and UML, come together, politics will come into play and the much-needed stability of the country will be maintained," he said.
Some media reports suggest that Deuba and Oli agreed to share the remaining three years of Parliament's term between the two largest parties, NC and CPN-UML (a term of one and a half years for each party). Deuba has offered Oli to become prime minister in the first round and share the position successively.
Concerned about the closed-door meeting between Deuba and Oli, Prachanda went to meet Oli to assure him that the government is taking seriously the issues raised by the UML, including its concerns over the new budget, observers say.
Nepal has witnessed 13 governments in the last 16 years.
