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Prachanda as Prime Minister

The election of Prachanda as Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal by a four-fifths majority may have come three months late. But it represents the ultimate victory of sobriety, accountability, and morality over the politics of cynicism and distrust. By emerging as the single largest party in the Constituent Assembly with a little less than 40 per cent of the seats, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) won the democratic right to lead the new government. At the same time, falling short of a majority obligated the Maoists to build a coalition. Given the success of consensual democratic politics over the past two years, government formation should have been a walk in the republican park. That it proved frustratingly difficult can be blamed primarily on the unwillingness of the Nepali Congress (NC) leadership to reconcile itself to the people’s verdict. Driven by the boundless ambition of 83-year-old four-time Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and the tacit backing of powerful interests within and without Nepal, the party demanded a far greater role for itself and its leader than was warranted by the number of seats it had in the Constituent Assembly. Fortunately for the political well-being and stability of Nepal, the politics of manipulation came to naught.

The Maoist-led coalition, which will rule Nepal until the next election two years hence, includes the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) or UML and the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF). The power-sharing formula worked out bodes well for the alliance. The key portfolios of defence and finance will be with the Maoists; home and foreign affairs will go to the UML; and the MJF will have important Ministries. The Maoists have announced the dissolution of the paramilitary structure of their Young Communist League; and are committed to pursuing the integration of the Peoples’ Liberation Army with the Nepal Army in a consensual and transparent way. Although governing Nepal at a time of global economic uncertainty will be challenging, the most important task before Prime Minister Prachanda is to lead the writing of a new Constitution. Here the key challenges will be articulating robust mechanisms for the exercise of citizens’ political, social, cultural, and economic rights; working out a federal structure that can address the needs and aspirations of different ethnic groups, including the Madhesis; and ensuring that the army remains subordinate to civilian authority. The new government and Constitution are likely to place Nepal’s relations with the outside world and with India on a sounder footing. A stable, peaceful, and prosperous Nepal is decidedly in India’s interest and New Delhi must now do all it can to assist the new government during the period of transition.

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