Nepalgunj, January 26

Nepali Congress Spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat said the party had decided to support the government led by CPN-Maoist Centre Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal to establish national consensus.

In his address to a press meet organised by Nepal Press Union, Banke, here today, spokesperson for the major opposition said the party had given vote of confidence to the government at the call of the prime minister and it was committed in its effort to cultivate the ground for national consensus rather than joining the government.

"The party hoped to see wider consensus in the election of the speaker, president and other posts while supporting the government."

The NC spokesperson said: "We will play the role of opposition in the Parliament based on the government's performance. Our support to the government does not mean that we will be joining the government."

According to Mahat, the prime minister assured the party that he would be there for protection of the constitution and to create and cultivate the ground for broader political understanding. "We will test whether he lives up to his promise."

The president is constitutionally the patron of the constitution and the party will have its claim on the presidential post. However, party President Sher Bahadur Deuba will not be a candidate for the presidential election. It will be either senior NC leader Ramchandra Paudel or other interested leaders. The party will decide at an appropriate time, according to Mahat.

He said, the alliance between the party and the CPN-Maoist Centre had collapsed due to some political miscalculation and the party's claim to the post of prime minister was never intended to hurt the sentiments of the alliance.

A version of this article appears in the print on January 27, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.