Power sharing parleys underway ahead of Nepal PM election

With the stage set for the election of a new prime minister by parliament on Monday, the Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML are holding negotiations on power sharing in a bid to form a majority government.
CPN-UML leaders said they can join an NC-led government if the two parties agree on the issue of power sharing. The party also wants President Ram Baran Yadav to quit and fresh polls for the posts of president and vice president, according to sources.
However, the NC is in favour of continuing with Yadav, arguing that the president need not resign before the new constitution is drafted by the Constituent Assembly.

The NC, which is the largest party in the 601-member Constituent Assembly with 194 seats, needs support from either CPN-UML or UCPN-Maoist and other smaller parties for winning the prime ministerial election.
Candidates can file their nominations till 5 pm tomorrow for the election to be held on Monday. No nominations were filed today.
The NC and CPN-UML, the second largest party, today collected nomination forms for the election.

NC parliamentary party leader Sushil Koirala, who is also the president of the party, has announced his candidacy for the post of prime minister.
Though K P Sharma Oli has been elected parliamentary party leader of CPN-UML, the party has not yet announced his candidacy.

If the NC does not agree with the CPN-UML's proposal for fresh elections for president and vice president, it is likely that Oli will stand as his party's candidate.
After the parties failed to form a consensus government, President Yadav last week asked parliament to initiate the process to form a majority government.