Deadline to form Nepal's new consensus govt. expires today

The deadline given by Nepal's President Bidhya Devi Bhandari to the political parties to form a consensus government expires on Sunday and the chances look faint on the same.

Assistant Spokesperson of Parliament Secretariat Sudarshan Kuikel said the Speaker had scheduled the next meeting of the Parliament at 3 p.m. local time on Monday in an anticipation of receiving letter from the President's office, reports the Himalayan Times.

Kuikel added voting can take within two to three days if the President directs the House on Monday to initiate the process of forming a new government on the basis of majoritarian process.

The Speaker can nominate the secretary general of Parliament as election officer, who will then initiate the election process, once the President writes to the Parliament to initiate the majoritarian process for forming a new government.

The Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-MC) and United Democratic Madhesi Front yesterday agreed to form a joint task force to prepare a draft of a tripartite agreement on the basis of which the UDMF could extend outside support to the new government.

The understanding was reached in a meeting between Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN-MC chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal and UDMF leaders.

During the meeting, the NC and CPN-MC leaders also told the UDMF to become a part of the new government.

Meanwhile, an understanding has been reached between the Nepali Congress and CPN-MC to rotate the government's leadership, thereby allowing Dahal to lead the government first followed by Deuba.