Nepal’s Maoists say they are willing to be part of multi-party democracy

The underground Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) is willing to be part of the parliamentary process on the condition that it be unde...

The underground Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) is willing to be part of the parliamentary process on the condition that it be under a new constitutional order and without an ‘absolute monarchy’.

An understanding to this effect has been reached between the Maoists and Nepal’s seven pro-democracy parties, said press releases on Tuesday, issued separately by Maoist supremo Prachanda and by the parties, based on a 12-point memorandum of understanding.

The MOU says end of absolute monarchy needs to be followed by the establishment of a full-fledged democracy and the restructuring of state apparatus to address political, social, economic , cultural as well as class, ethnic and gender issues. Although the two sides have not explicitly said so, they are keen to retain ‘constitutional or ceremonial’ monarchy, provided it contributes to resolving the country’s political crisis.

The understanding reached during the latest round of trips Nepalese leaders, including the Maoists, made to New Delhi is significantly devoid of any criticism of the US—a favourite whipping dog of the Maoists—but solicits wider international support, mainly from neighbouring China and India for the peace effort.

The agreement—which favours UN or any credible international supervision of the Maoists guerrillas as well as the Royal Nepal Army during the assembly elections—injects hope that the current phase of the ceasefire declared by the Maoists would be extended beyond its expiry on December 3. Although the two sides maintained silence over the ‘decommissioning of arms’, an understanding is believed to have been reached to facilitate the process under UN supervision. The two sides have however, declared that they would boycott and oppose the municipal elections, scheduled for February 8 and the parliamentary elections slated for mid-April 2007 as these are ‘intended to give legitimacy to the king’.

The Maoists and the political parties are however, still divided on the issue of the revival of the dissolved parliament as an instrument to call election to the constituent assembly.