Nepal's Maoists stake claim to lead new government

Nepal's Maoists want to lead the country's next government after the prime minister resigned Wednesday under intense pressure from the former rebels. The United Communist Party-Maoist says that, as the largest party in the Nepalese parliament, they should be at the helm.

Deepa Shrestha/ Reuters

Tendering his resignation, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said he wanted to end a long political stalemate.

His 13-month term in office was marred by a series of power struggles with the Maoists.

Nepal's President Ram Baran Yadav has asked political leaders to form a power-sharing government by 7 July, 2010.

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CK Lal in Kathmandu

Salil Sarkar

“Now that the prime minister has resigned, there are two possibilities. One is that they will form another coalition government because no party has a majority in-house, or second, they will form a consensus government,” journalist CK Lal told RFI from Kathmandu. 

Nepal's political parties are expected to write a new constitution to replace the basic law in place since the Hindu Monarchy was overthrown.

Nepal's 601-member parliament, or Constituent Assembly, was elected in 2008 with a two-year mandate to draft a new national constitution.

“It took one month for the prime minister to resign, which means one month was already wasted to create this constitution,” says Lal.

The new constitution would be the final stage in a peace process launched when the country's civil war ended in 2006. Should it not be completed, Lal says it will leave a “constitutional vacuum”.