Nepal’s Maoist party not to join government

Kathmandu – Nepal’s third largest party, the (UCPN-Maoist), said Saturday that it will not join the coalition government but will join the constituent assembly for the sake of the constitution drafting process.!

The party had threatened to stay out of the constitution dr! afting process immediately after the country’s election Nov 19, if the government fails to form an independent probe panel on “vote-rigging”, Xinhua reported.

“We will join the constituent assembly so we ask the election commission to extend the deadline for the submission of the names under the proportional election category,” said party spokesperson Agni Sapkota.

He said that party will support the coalition government to be formed by the Nepali Congress, the largest party. But the Nepali Congress and the second largest party Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) are working to bring the Maoist party in the government so that it will make the constitution drafting process easy.

The Maoist party which emerged as a largest political force of the country faced a humiliating loss in Nov 19 election as it just secured 80 seats out of the 601-member constituent assembly.

The Nepali Congress, a centrist party that secured the first posit! ion in the election, is preparing to form a new government.

The country’s peace and constitution writing process will be complete only when the United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-Maoist) joins the process.