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Prachanda to lead government

KATHMANDU: Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Chairman Prachanda has said he will lead the Maoists’ government in Nepal.

Addressing a victory mass meeting on Saturday, Mr. Prachanda said the people’s mandate was for the Maoists to lead the government. “Respecting the mandate I will lead the government on behalf of our party,” he said.

Mr. Prachanda, however, said it would be a coalition government and urged the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) to continue in the next coalition since it was a collective responsibility of all the parties to jointly draft a new constitution.

In an interview to The Kathmandu Post published on Saturday, Mr. Prachanda said he was in favour of providing King Gyanendra a “graceful exit” from the throne that the Shah dynasty has occupied for the last 240 years.

Mr. Prachanda was of the opinion that ousting the King in a humiliating manner would cause negative vibes at home and aboard.

He, however, clarified that the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly would abolish the monarchy. “There is no alternative to abolishing the monarchy through the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly and we will do just that,” he said.

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