KATHMANDU: After first "congratulating the people
of Nepal on their historic Constitutional
Assembly election," the United States is now
seeking to subvert the electorate’s mandate by
lobbying against the Maoists heading the next
coalition government.
According to political and diplomatic sources,
the U.S. ambassador in Kathmandu, Nancy Powell,
is “actively pushing” the idea that Girija Prasad
Koirala should continue as Prime Minister.
Under the interim constitution, all major
decisions, including the appointment or removal
of the Prime Minister, must be taken by
consensus, failing which by a two-thirds
majority. With the encouragement of the
Americans, a section of the Nepali Congress (NC)
leadership is now citing this provision to argue
that the Maoists will first have to oust Mr.
Koirala before they can stake a claim to the top
post.
“Suicidal for party”
The American suggestion which one NC leader in an
interview to The Hindu described as "suicidal for
the party" runs counter to the belief of Indian
and other diplomats here that a Maoist-led
government is inevitable given the scale of their
victory.
The CA consists of 601 seats, 575 of which are
elected. Of these, the Maoists have 220, or 38.2
per cent, the NC only 110 and the Unified
Marxist-Leninists (UML) 103. The four Madhesi
parties have 85 seats between them. A further 26
seats will be filled by nomination on a pro rata
basis.
In the current coalition based on the "interim
legislature," the NC, with 40 per cent of the
seats, has not just the prime ministership but
also the defence, home and finance portfolios. In
line with this practice, Prachanda, chairman of
the Nepali Maoists, says his party will now head
the coalition government and keep the three top
ministries to itself.
Though some observers feel the “GPK as PM” line
is meant to pressure the Maoists into yielding at
least one top portfolio to the NC or UML in an
eventual coalition government, there is a fear
that the proposal will take on a life of its own
as other players who feel threatened by the
Maoists such as the Palace and Army brass - latch
on to it.
Last week, the entire debate within the NC was
over whether the party should join the coalition
led by the Maoists or not. But when the Central
Working Committee of the NC met on Thursday to
take stock of the party’s defeat, senior leaders
openly challenged the Maoists’ right to lead the
government.
Second ’proposal’
A second ’proposal’ that is being floated to
prevent the Maoists from forming a stable
government is an amendment to the interim
constitution to allow the Prime Minister to be
removed by simple majority as a condition for
allowing Maoist leader Prachanda to become PM.
Since the Maoists will have more than one-third
of the seats in the CA, the argument goes, there
will be no check should they refuse to hold
elections again. The Maoist leadership rejects
these arguments.
"When the interim constitution itself spells out
the lifespan of the CA and mandates fresh
elections within a maximum period of two years
and six months, where is the question of the
Maoists delaying elections?" Mr. Prachanda told
The Hindu. "Would any of these proposals or
formulas have been made if the NC or UML had been
in our position?“he asked.”That is the true
test of how valid these proposals are.“The Maoists fear the new emphasis on the”politics of numbers" will vitiate the consensual
spirit that the CA needs to write Nepal’s new
constitution.
Mr. Prachanda says the electorate’s mandate is
for a coalition government led by the Maoists.
"This is a time when all the parties have to work
together the Maoists, the NC, UML, the [Madhesi
Janadhikar] Forum and others."
Role for Koirala
Asked what role he envisaged for Mr. Koirala, Mr.
Prachanda said the “guardianship” of the NC
leader had been crucial in pushing the peace
process and ensuring that elections to the CA
were held properly. "At the same time, he has
repeatedly said he wants to retire from active
politics and this must also be respected. And
yet, we feel some way must be found for him to
continue to play the role of a guardian. My view
is that given his age and his own sentiments, the
proper way to honour him would not be to insist
on his involvement in the government or
day-to-day politics. We have to find another way
of honouring him. But if he wants, we are
open-minded on this,“said Mr. Prachanda.”I told
him we are prepared to talk about this."