Date:06/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/06/stories/2008080656251600.htm

International

Nepal parties get 3 more days to form coalition

Prerana Marasini

KATHMANDU: After Nepal’s four major parties could not evolve consensus to form a national government, President Ram Baran Yadav has granted them three more days to do so.

CPN (Maoist) chairman Prachanda met Mr. Yadav on Tuesday and requested the latter to extend the deadline. Mr. Yadav, on July 29, had invited the Maoists to form a government within a week.

Mr. Prachanda expressed hope that these three days would help the parties to forge a consensus. “We asked for three more days,” he told reporters, adding: “[The] President was positive and granted our request.”

Mr. Yadav expressed happiness on learning the parties were moving ahead to build consensus, he added. Before meeting the President, the Maoists had first proposed the idea to extend the deadline at a meeting with the Nepali Congress (NC), CPN (UML), and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF). These parties had accepted the proposal.

Meanwhile, a four-member taskforce has been formed to work on the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) for the government. Earlier, the Maoists had drafted a 50-point CMP, which had failed to impress the NC, UML, and MJF.