KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 23
CPN-Maoist Centre Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal today held talks with Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and sought his support to become the next prime minister.
CPN-MC, which is a partner in the five-party ruling coalition, has 32 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives.
According to a CPN-MC source, Dahal's thinks that Deuba is positive about letting Dahal lead the new government for the first two-and-a-half years, a gentleman's agreement reached between the two earlier. "He knows Deuba faces hurdles within the NC to keep the promise," the source added.
Asked if the current coalition would remain intact, the source said, "I hope Deuba will not repeat the mistake that KP Sharma Oli made by not honouring the gentleman's agreement to hand over power to Dahal for half of the five-year tenure.
Whether or not this coalition remains intact will depend on the NC," he add-ed.
Ever since the president gave a seven-day deadline to members of the HoR to form the government, Dahal has mounted pressure on Deuba and the NC to support him to form the next government. He met Deuba yesterday as well as today.
Both the NC and the CPN-MC leaders have said that they wouldtake turns to lead the government, but both sides fear that they might not get a chance to lead the government after twoand-a-half years.
History of parties not honouring gentleman's agreement is at the root of this fear.NC General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa, who contested elections for the post of the party's parliamentary party leader, had said after losing the election that whatever deal or understanding the party leadership would reach with other parties, particularly coalition partners, shouldfollow discussion within the party. The Shekhar Koirala faction of the NC has been saying that the NC should stake claim to both the key posts - prime minister and president. THT tried to get comments from four NC leaders who are close to PM, but none of them picked phone.
Earlier this morning, NC leader Prakash Man Singhmet Dahal and asked him to support Deuba for the PM's post. Singh's Personal Secretary UP Lamichhane told THT that he tried to convince Dahal that since the NC had emerged as the largest party in the Lower House, it would be prudent if all coalition partners accepted NC leadership.
There is a verbal agreementbetween the NC and the CPN-MC that they will take turns to lead the government in the next five years.
According to Lamichhane, Singh told Dahal that the NC would not backtrack on its pledge of CPN-MC lead the government in the second half of the five-year tenure. He told Dahal that the NC would share key posts with coalition partners.Yesterday, CPN- MC leader Janardan Sharma had said either NC leader Ramchandra Paudel or CPN (Unified Socialist) Chair Madhav Kumar Nepal would become the president in March when Bidhya Devi Bhandari's tenureends.
Dahal, who used to be the kingmaker in the past, does not have enough members in the HoR to bargain hard with other parties. He will need the support of the Nepal-led party to increase his bargaining power. The CPN (US), which has 10 members in the HoR has, however, said chances of stitchingtogether a left alliance were slim.
Although Dahal has been pressuring Deuba, the NC president is unlikely to yield to the pressure and let Dahal lead the government first, as Deuba would get a chance to lead the government in case a new coalition is not formed by Sunday when the president's deadline to form a new government expires. As per Article 76 (3), the parliamentary party leader of the largest party in the House of Representatives should be appointed the PM if a new PM cannot be appointed under Article 76 (2), which provisions for a coalition government in case of a hung parliament.
Asked if the UML would offer Dahal the post of PM if he helps the UML form the government, UML leader Subas Chandra Nembang said his party had entrusted Chair KP Sharma Oli with the responsibility of taking an appropriate decision.
"Let's see how the talks progress," he said, adding that the mandate of the poll was that all parties should join hands to achieve political goals.
I hope Deuba will not repeat the mistake that KP Sharma Oli made by not honouring the gentleman's agreement.
A version of this article appears in the print on December 24, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
