Nepal starts power sharing talks amid constitution deadlock

Nepal's major political parties have begun negotiations for formation of a national unity government to facilitate the ongoing stalled constitution drafting process, party leaders said Tuesday.

Party leaders say talks are currently focused on power sharing considering that without amicable power sharing, it would be difficult to promulgate a new constitution.

The issue of power sharing came to the surface when parties were discussing the process and content of the constitution drafting exercise.

Ruling coalition partner Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) has officially proposed the formation of the unity government with parties that are outside the government.

Currently, the government is headed by the largest party Nepali Congress's president Sushil Koirala, who is strongly backed by the second largest CPN-UML and some other fringe parties.

The main opposition Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) and Terai-based parties are outside the government.

The constitution drafting process is stalled, as many leaders say all major parties want to remain in power during the constitution promulgation period to take the credit.

UCPN-M and Terai-based parties are publicly saying that they will not join the government but some of the leaders of these parties have privately expressed their keenness to join the government.

It is, however, not yet clear whether the current government would be transformed into a national unity government or the leadership of the government will change.

Even Koirala is positive on the formation of a unity government to ensure a new constitution.

"We have proposed formation of national unity government and other parties are positive on it despite their public statements," Xinhua quoted CPN-UML leader Jhala Nath Khanal as saying after the talks with Terai-based parties.

In the last six years, five governments have been formed in Nepal but none of them was able to deliver a new constitution.

Nepali Congress leaders say the new national unity government could be formed but it should not affect the Jan 22 deadline for promulgation of the constitution.

Nepal is at a critical juncture now as the constitution promulgation deadline is approaching but there is no progress in the statute drafting process.