Mr Nepal lucks out

On May 23rd Madhav Kumar Nepal,the communist son of a Hindu priest,became Nepal’s new prime minister. He succeeds Pushpa Kamal Dahal,the country’s former Maoist leader – the main protagonist in a decade-long guerrilla war – who resigned on May 4th,leaving the government in limbo. Mr Nepal has the support of 21 of the 24 political parties in Nepal’s assembly; but this is scarcely democratic progress. The Maoists,who won 38 per cent of the assembly’s seats in the country’s first post-conflict election last year,do not support him. Nor did Mr Nepal win either of the two seats he contested in the poll.

Among many threats to his new government,the Maoists loom large. Mr Dahal,who resigned after he was foiled in an effort to sack an old enemy,Nepal’s army chief,General Rookmangud Katawal,has said they remain committed to democracy. Yet the Maoists had until last week stopped the assembly functioning since their chief’s resignation. And they still demand that the president,Ram Baran Yadav,should reverse his decision to veto General Katawal’s sacking. Backed by Mr Nepal and his allies,who consider the army a last defence against the Maoists,Mr Yadav will not do this. On May 24th the Maoists spurned an invitation to join the new government.

With luck,it may survive for a while. It might even try easing the country’s severe power and fuel shortages. That would quell some of the growing discontent at the failure of any party to deliver on its election promises. But the early signs are not promising,with Mr Nepal’s coalition partners bitterly feuding over the division of cabinet spoils.

More important,there seems little prospect of this government making much progress on the assembly’s two main tasks – shepherding a complicated peace process and drafting a new constitution. Under Mr Dahal’s more solid government,including the Maoists,Mr Nepal’s UML (for Unified Marxist-Leninist) and other parties,these were daunting: the thorniest issue of the peace process,the fate of 23,000-odd former Maoist fighters,led indirectly to its demise. (Some of these fighters are to be recruited into the army; but General Katawal,to the Maoists’ fury,has resisted this.) And if Mr Nepal’s government cannot resolve these issues,it had better make way for one that can.

© The Economist Newspaper Limited 2009