Nepal’s four major parties agree to form election govt

In a breakthrough, top leaders of Nepal's four major political parties Monday agreed to form an election government led by the Chief Justice to end months of constitutional crisis plaguing the country.

Top leaders belonging to Unified CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and Joint Democratic Madhesi Front, "agreed to form an election government under Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi", Nepali Congress Vice-president Ramchandra Poudyal told PTI.

During the meeting held at Rashtrapati Bhawan, they have tentatively set mid-June as deadline to conduct new elections to the Constituent Assembly, according to top party sources.

The meeting was attended by Unified CPN-Maoist Chairman Prachanda, Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala and CPN-UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal among others.

"They have also agreed to form an eleven member cabinet led by Regmi comprising of former bureaucrats," Poudyal said. "This will entirely be a non-political neutral cabinet which will devote its work to conduct election for drafting the constitution," he added.

Nepal had plunged into a political and constitutional crisis after the Constituent Assembly was dissolved by Maoist Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai in May last year without drafting the constitution.

The crisis further deepened as Bhattarai announced fresh elections in November last year but failed to conduct polls. The top leaders have agreed to hold next round of meeting Tuesday before formally announcing the election government and decide matters relating to the shape and size of the cabinet along with the rules and modality of the proposed Constituent Assembly elections.

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