Kathmandu, October 25

In an all-party meeting called by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, both CPN-UML and Nepali Congress laid their claim to the post of president.

According to Nepali Janata Dal Chair Haricharan Sah, the PM told participants that the UML had offered both posts of prime minister and the president to the Nepali Congress in the past and the largest party should now reciprocate with the same gesture.

According to Sah, NC President Sushil Koirala, however, told the meeting that if the ruling coalition wanted to move ahead in the spirit of unity, it should be ready to offer the post of president to his party.

Samajwadi Janata Party lawmaker Prem Bahadur Singh said the parties should offer the post of the president to somebody from Karnali region, the most backward region of the country.

NC Spokesperson Dilendra Prasad Badu told THT that his party would field candidates for both president and vice-president and if that was not possible then at least for the post of president. He, however, said his party would consult ruling and opposition parties before taking a decision to field its candidate for president.

Asked who would be the party’s candidate for president, Badu said, “That will mainly depend on how the party’s negotiation goes with other parties.”

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UML Secretary Pradip Gyawali told THT that a meeting of the party’s Standing Committee scheduled for tomorrow, would decide to name the party’s candidate for president. He said the party would choose a candidate from among three names — Vice-chair Bidhya Bhandari, senior leader Jhalanath Khanal and former Speaker Subas Chandra Nembang. Gyawali said UML’s candidate will have the backing of the ruling coalition partners.

Asked if his party was ready to offer the post of president to the NC, Gyawali said there were two conditions for the ruling coalition’s support to NC candidate, but the NC did not commit to fulfil those commitments and therefore, the UML was not in a position to back the NC’s presidential candidate.

“We wanted the NC to apologise for its past mistakes (decision to break the three parties’ unity) and show its commitment to be a partner in the government till the next general election, but the NC is non-committal,” he said.

Vice-chair of Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal Lalbabu Raut said the United Democratic Madhesi Front had not formally decided about its participation in the presidential election, but most probably it would not take part in the election scheduled for Wednesday.

Madhesi activists had vehemently opposed UDMF’s decision to take part in the election held a few days ago for premiership.

Madhesi and Tharu parties that have been agitating in the past including Tarai Madhes Democratic Party, Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal, Sadbhawana Party, Tarai Madhes Sadbhawana Party-Nepal, Nepal Sadbhawana Party, National Madhes Socialist Forum, Tharuhat Tarai Party-Nepal Federal Democratic National Forum (Tharuhat) had boycotted the all-party meeting.