Third extended deadline to form unity govt expiring today as parties stop bothering to forge consensus altogether

The third consecutive deadline given by President Ram Baran Yadav for political parties to form a national consensus government is expiring today.

The extended deadline given to the parties to form a unity government expires at 4 pm today as major political forces - UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress, CPN (UML) and Madhesi Front – have even stopped bothering to hold any kinds of meetings to find a way out of the current political and constitutional impasse and meet the deadline.

President Dr Ram Baran Yadav had on Friday last week given a six-day deadline to political parties to form unity government. Although during the first two deadlines given by the President the major parties had at least held several rounds of meetings among themselves to reach a package deal on contentious issues of constitution drafting and pave the way for formation of a consensus government, the political parties spent the last six days managing to hold just one meeting which also ended inconclusively.

The ruling alliance led by UCPN (M) is adamant on its stance that a change of guard can only take place after a package deal on constitution making, but opposition parties NC and CPN (UML) – who have formally proposed NC president Sushil Koirala as their candidate for Prime Ministership – insist that the parties cannot reach any agreement on contentious issues of constitution drafting right now as it solely falls on the jurisdiction of the next Constituent Assembly.

Meanwhile, President Yadav is likely to extend the deadline by five more days following request for the same by the political parties, it is learnt. nepalnews.com