Oli to claim PM's post in Nepal

Two months after the successful conclusion of parliamentary elections, Nepal's largest party CPN-UML on Wednesday picked its Chairman K.P. Sharma Oli as the next Prime Minister of the country.

A meeting of the party's Standing Committee decided to propose Oli as next Prime Minister with the support of another Communist party, CPN (Maoist Centre), said party leader Surendra Padney.

Being the largest party in the Nepal's Lower House, CPN-UML's Oli is the natural claimant for the post but requires support from Maoists to secure the majority.

According to the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxists-Leninists) leader Pandey, the meeting also gave nod to the party unification between the UML and the Maoist Centre.

Two Communist forces in Nepal decided to go together in elections last October by forming a Left Alliance. They contested elections in single manifesto and divided the candidates in 60:40 ratio.

The alliance won the majority seats in Nepal's Provincial and Federal Assemblies and will be forming governments in Centre as well as in six provinces out of seven.

As per the agreement, both Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" will co-chair of the new Communist Party and will split the premiership on rotational basis, said Pandey.

But modalities of rotational based premiership between Oli and Prachanda, unification of the party, its organization basis, management of entire rank and file and political doctrine among others will be ascertained by a task force formed by both parties.

On the other hand, the Maoist party also authorized its chairman Prachanda to take all necessary decision for party unification with the UML and future power sharing with UML including the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

(Anil Giri can be contacted at girianil@gmail.com)

--IANS

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