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Wednesday, Sep 19, 2007
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Maoists quit Nepal government

Ameet Dhakal

This follows the Prime Minister’s refusal to bow to their demand to declare the country a republic

— Photo: AP

Turmoil in Nepal: Supporters of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) take out a rally in Kathmandu on Tuesday after the party quit the coalition government. The Maoists warned of widespread protests if the government failed to abolish the monarchy and declare Nepal a republic.

KATHMANDU: The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has quit the five-month-old coalition government, dealing a huge blow to the nascent peace process.

The Maoists decided to quit the government after Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala refused to bow to their demand to declare Nepal a republic through the interim-legislature.

Four Maoist Ministers submitted their resignations on Tuesday afternoon after the hectic negotiations among the top leaders of the eight-party alliance held in the morning failed to reach an agreement. Though the Maoists have walked away from the government, they have not dumped the peace process. They have said they will not pick up arms again. “We will focus on peaceful agitation to fulfil our demands,” Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Maoist politburo member, told reporters after submitting his resignation.

Addressing a mass meeting organised by his party at the open-air theatre in the capital after the failed negotiation, the Maoist second-in-command, Babu Ram Bhattrai, said: “The Constituent Assembly election cannot be held so long as the monarchy exists. Now our party will bring a republic through street agitation.”

He added that the election programme announced by the Election Commission was not acceptable to his party any more. “The election code of conduct announced by the Election Commission is not acceptable to us,” he explained. But he would not say if his party would take part in the CA poll slated for November 22.

Interestingly, CPN (Maoist) chairman Prachanda, who was also supposed to address the mass meeting, did not show up at the eleventh hour, citing health reasons. Observers speculate that Mr. Prachanda chose to remain absent in the meeting to keep room open for negotiations with the coalition partners.

The general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) said that the top leaders of the eight-party alliance, including the Maoists, have agreed to sit for dialogue on Wednesday morning. “The Maoists have left the government, but they haven’t walked out of the peace process. We are still hopeful of an agreement,” he said.

The Minister for Peace and Reconstruction, Ram Chandra Poudel, also expressed confidence that the latest political development would not derail the peace process. “We are still hopeful that the Maoists would come back to the negotiating table and we will reach consensus.” He also said the government was ready to fulfil 20 of the 22 demands submitted by the Maoists.

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