Koirala yields, makes way for Prachanda

Koirala dropped a political bombshell saying that he’ll sit in the Opposition. The statement clearly states that the Nepali Congress—the second biggest party in the Constituent Assembly—will no more be part of the governing alliance headed by the Maoists. With this, the 26-month alliance between the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists (CPN-M) will be over.

Koirala, who has all these days been reluctant to quit, yielded after Prachanda threatened that his ministers would pull out of the Government and take to the streets if necessary. He had also told Koirala that holding on to the post of Prime Minister even after his defeat in the Constituent Assembly polls two months ago was both “immoral and undemocratic”.

However, the seven-party alliance succeeded convincing the Maoists to give up their insistence for group inclusion of the People’s Liberation Army in the Nepal Army. Instead, the entry will be made on case to case basis without circumventing or waving the rules and eligibility required for entry into the Nepal Army. The Maoists have also agreed to return the property they had confiscated from individuals during the insurgency.

Koirala’s last minute efforts to make parties name him first President of Republic Nepal were also shattered by the Maoists and the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML).

Koirala tried till the last moment to be named joint presidential candidate, but when nothing seemed to work, he announced at a tri-party meeting that he will step down and tender his resignation to “whoever I am directed to”.

The Maoists are likely to leave the ceremonial President for the UML, which means that politics will be torn into Left and democratic fractions and this may inject instability in the politics and governance of the country.

The Government is likely to move constitutional amendment bill on Friday to have both the President and the Prime Minister elected by simple majority in the House.

With Maoists and UML coming to an understanding with each other, the parties will have 337 members in a house of 601. The existing provision of the Constitution, to be amended on Friday, requires two-thirds majority in favour to form the Government.