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Nepal: Maoists demand Koirala’s resignation |
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The Maoists in Nepal who won 220 seats in the 601-member Constituent Assembly (CA) elections last week demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and at the same time asked the King to leave Narayanhity Royal Palace by May 27. While the demand for Koirala’s resignation was made by Maoist second-in-command Baburam Bhattarai using quite unceremonious and tense language, Maoist chief Prachanda sent a strong message to King Gyanendra to evacuate the palace by May 22.
A day after Koirala’s call for the first meeting of the Assembly that will declare Nepal a republic State by abolishing the monarchy, Prachanda warned the King on May 13 that he could face forceful expulsion from the palace if he refused to evacuate voluntarily. He told newsmen in Ham district in Eastern Nepal that the first Assembly meeting would declare the country a republic by ending the 240-year-old monarchy that “represents feudalism in Nepal”. “If King Gyanendra cooperates with the political process he will be given the rights enjoyed by ordinary citizens”, he said.
The Kathmandu Post quoted Baburam Bhattarai as saying on May 14 that Koirala should have resigned immediately after his party, Nepali Congress, was defeated in the Constituent Assembly poll but he is sticking to the post as per wrong advice from sycophants. He warned Koirala that he would lose his political standing and respect if he “keeps on misinterpreting the people’s verdict”.
Desperate to lead the new Government, Prachanda whose Communist Party of Nepal [Maoist] did not win a clear mandate in the elections started consultations with the Terai-based political parties. He offered the three Madhesi parties adequate participation in the new Government. Prachanda and Bhattarai held separate meetings with the Terai Madhesi Loktantric Party(TMLP), Sadbhawana Party(SP) and Madhesi Janandhikar Forum (MJF). While the TMLP and the SP reportedly refused to join the Government and promised to extend support from outside, the MJF may be part of the next ruling coalition. The MJF, which has emerged as the fourth largest political party in the CA, has also demanded that the 26 nominated members be selected by the new government. A task force has been constituted and the first meeting of the Assembly is likely to be held before May 28.
Commenting on the Maoist leaders’ call to King Gyanendra and Prime Minister Koirala to quit, political observers said, the demand was neither new nor unusual, as the interim Constitution has already decided that the Constituent Assembly would implement its decision to turn Nepal into a republic. However, nowhere has the interim Constitution mentioned that the existing Government would be dissolved immediately after the CA elections. The CPN[Maoist], being the largest party, can claim the leadership, but a proper process must be followed and certain conditions fulfilled before the transfer of power. Instead of threatening the NC and the CPN[UML], observers said, it would be better on the part of the Maoists to respond to the Nepali Congress’s seven-point demand. Instead of flaying other parties and ignoring what they have been saying, the Maoists should behave responsibly. Until the Maoists convince the people and the world that they are not aiming to establish dictatorial rule, which can only be proven by their deeds and not mere lip service, some check and balance is not that big a demand. Koirala rightly said the peace process would be affected if any erroneous step was taken as the country was in transition.
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