Laxmi Capital News
President advises Oli and Dahal to share power

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari today intensifiedher efforts to effect unification between the CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centresuggesting that UML Chair KP Sharma Oli could be the prime minister and CPN-MCChair Pushpa Kamal Dahal could be the unified party’s chairman.

President Bhandari had held a luncheon meeting with Oli and Dahalat ShitalNiwas yesterday which lasted for five hours where she said that Olicould be the prime minister and Dahal the unified party’s chairperson, saidleft alliance sources.

Oli and Dahal are under intense pressure to take a decision on whowill get the posts of president, vice-president, prime minister, speaker,deputy speaker and chairperson of the unified party as the date for formationof the new government nears.

As per sources, President Bhandari told the two leaders that theunified party could synthesise UML’s multi-party people’s democracy and theCPN-MC’s People’s Republic in the new party’s ideology.

According to a source, President Bhandari told the two leadersthat people had already endorsed the UML and CPN-MC’s unification process andleft alliance leaders should keep in mind the people’s verdict.

President Bhandari also showed keen interest to become thepresident again during the meeting. She was elected president two years ago in2015 after the new constitution was promulgated.

Vice-president Nanda Bahadur Pun has also shown keen interest tobecome the vice-president again. He had gone to meet Oli at his residence inBalkot, Bhaktapur recently. President Bhandari had hosted a dinner party forDahal’s family last month.

Dahal has been saying that Oli can choose the post he wants, butOli has not said anything about what post he would offer to Dahal. Oli andDahal had told the president that they would hold meetings to narrow downdifferences.

Sources said Oli and Dahal had reached understanding that theywould resolve all issues before formation of the government, but announce theparties’ unification after formation of the government.

“If the two posts — prime minister and the party’s chair — aredivided between the two leaders, it will give positive message to the cadresand leaders,” Chairman of All Nepal National Independent studentsUnion-Revolutionary RanjitTamang quoted Dahal as telling the party’s sisterwing leaders today.

“The president has been suggesting that we share the post of primeminister and chairman of the unified party,” Tamang quoted Dahal as saying.According to him, Oli and Dahal have been discussing issues of ideology,organisational structure and leaders’ roles and responsibilities and they willreach understanding on these issues by the second week of February.

Dahal has said that anti-unity national and international forcesare trying to prevent party unification and that they had tried to play withhim earlier and they were now trying to play with Oli.

“There is common understanding between Oli and Dahal that rolesand responsibilities should be as before as both are leaders committed toadopting the  people’s verdict and preventing anti-unity forces,” Tamangquoted Dahal as saying.

Dahal has said it will be better to finalise unity before forminggovernment as that will make the party and the government stronger. If this isnot possible then government formation and party unification should gosimultaneously, according to a student leader. Oli and Dahal plan to make500,000 people participate in the party unification announcement programme inKathmandu to make it a historic moment.

Source: The Himalayan Times, 4th February 2018

 

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