Kathmandu May 16

More than seven months after CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre announced electoral alliance, the two parties have decided to finally dissolve their parties tomorrow and form a unified party following intense formal and informal talks today.

CPN-MC leader Janardan Sharma told THT that the UML and the CPN-MC will be dissolved tomorrow to formalise unification and a new party — Nepal Communist Party — will be registered at the Election Commission. He said the two parties agreed to unify after settling issues related to the unified party’s statute and the common political document. “We have taken a historic decision,” Sharma said.

According to UML Deputy General Secretary Ghanashyam Bhusal, the Party Unification Coordination Committee will hold a meeting tomorrow to formalise the unity deal. A left alliance leader said the unified party would have 441 members in the Central Committee, out of which the CPN-UML would have 241 (54.5 per cent) and the CPN-MC will have 200 members (45.5 per cent).

The leader said the Standing Committee of the unified party will have 43 members -- 25 from the UML and 18 from CPN-MC. The two parties decided to have sun as their election symbol.

Rift between the two parties on power sharing, representation in the top committees of the unified party and recognition of ‘people’s war’ in the preamble of the party’s statute had almost derailed the deal.

The two parties agreed on unifying their parties tomorrow after Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and CPN-Maoist Centre Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal held a final round of meeting to finalise the deal.

Following their meeting, the two leaders called their parties’ meetings and briefed their leaders about their agreement on party unification.

As per their understanding, Oli and Dahal will take turns to assume the posts of unified party chairman and prime minister, the phrase ‘people’s war’ will be incorporated in the political document with a mention that it contributed to the establishment of republic, inclusion, proportional representation and federalism in the country.

The two parties also decided to have Marxism and Leninism as the guiding principles of the unified party. They agreed to settle other ideological differences during the party’s general convention, which is likely to be held within two years.

The UML has called its Central Committee meeting, and the CPN-MC its party secretariat meeting, tomorrow to endorse the deal.

The CPN-UML and the CPN-MC had announced electoral alliance on October 3 and the two parties had contested the parliamentary and provincial elections on 60 (UML):40 (CPN-MC) ratio.

Pact facts

• The unified party to have 441 members in the Central Committee, 241 from UML and 200 from CPN-MC
• Standing Committee of the new party to have 43 members, 25 from UML, 18 from CPN-MC
• Oli, Dahal to take turns to assume the posts of unified party chairman and prime minister
• The phrase ‘people’s war’ to be incorporated in the political document with a mention that it contributed to the establishment of republic, inclusion, proportional representation and federalism in the country
• Marxism and Leninism to be the guiding principles of the unified party

Today’s schedule

• 7:30am: Oli, Dahal address at UML headquarters in Balkhu
• 10:00am: PUCC meeting
• Noon: Central committees of both the parties meet before heading to the Election Commission to register the party
• Afternoon: Oli, Dahal address a joint press meet