Parties attempting to form majority, not consensus govt.

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 5 May: One day after what Maoists called a constitutional coup to topple the nine-month Maoist-led government by President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, inter and intra-parties talks are being held Tuesday to form a majority and not a consensus government.
The politics of consensus virtually died after the April 2008 constituent assembly elections in which Maoists emerged as the largest political party in the CA and parliament.
The Prachanda government that fell Monday was a majority government.
That’s probably why India Monday called for a ‘broadest consensus government’.
“We would hope that the broadest political consensus would make it possible for Nepal to concentrate on the agreed tasks like drafting of the constitution on time and democratic transition,” a statement of the Indian foreign ministry said.
President Yadav and Maoists are exchanging charges of acting unconstitutionally to retain and sack Army Chief Gen Rukmangud Katawal.
Before resigning , Prime Minister Prachanda charged Monday foreign power centers and parties opposed to Maoists were trying to form what he called a dual power center by propping up a ceremonial president.
President Yadav defended himself and said he acted to protect the constitution.
CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal has taken a lead in forming a government with Nepali Congress support; Congress was attempting to form a ‘democratic alternative’ to the Maoist-led government.
But the task of forming such a government is formidable even as the president is appealing for it.
Between them, CPN-UML and Nepali Congress have only 223 seats in the 601-member parliament; they need the support of MJF with 53 seats and 25 other lawmakers to form a majority government.
Maoists, with 238 seats in parliament, could still form another government with the support of MJF and 10 other lawmakers from smaller parties.
MJF is in a king-making position.
Nepal is now caught in a deep political and constitutional crisis that will certainly delay the peace process and drafting of the constitution in the remaining 12 month deadline.
Any new government will have to tread cautiously and will be unstable.
So-called civil society is holding an anti-Yadav demonstration Tuesday in front of the presidential palace that has been declared a prohibited area where public meetings and demonstrations have been banned.
Maoists have also threatened to come out on the streets against the president and Gen Katawal whose resignation the ousted party is demanding.
Meanwhile, the outgoing government Monday postponed indefinitely the Nepal Development Forum with donors scheduled in the capital from 12 to 14 May.
After Maoists decided to publicly take on the Nepal Army, major parties that in the past had been vilifying the state army cane to its support.
Maoists said they moved against Gen Katawal to establish civilian control over the military charged for defying civilian authority.
But Maoists were charged for demoralizing the army and trying to destroy its structure.
The supreme court Tuesday begins hearing on a writ challenging what has been called an unconstitutional decision of the president.
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