Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' has hinted at sharing either the President or Speaker with the Nepali Congress (NC), saying that the government took the form of a national consensus government.
Dahal hinted towards this effect during an interaction with editors in Baluwatar today at a time while speculations are being made about what course the politics will take in the future after the NC, in a rare show, gave him the vote of confidence.
There has been a tacit agreement between the CPN (UML) and the CPN (Maoist Center) that the two parties will lead the prime ministership, the President, and the Speaker on a rotational basis. Prachanda has already become the prime minister based on this agreement.
However, Prachanda told the editors that there have been no such types of agreements in writing between the two parties.
"There is no written agreement on the distribution of the President and Speaker," Prime Minister Prachanda told editors in Baluwatar on Saturday. "An all-party meeting to be held on January 17 will finalize this issue."
Prachanda and UML Chairman Oli in a meeting this morning agreed to call an all-party meeting on January 17.
The all-party meeting including the NC, the largest party in the House of Representatives, has been called in agreement with Oli.
The agreement between Dahal and Oli to hold discussions on the distribution of President and Speaker indicates that the UML is also mulling over power-sharing with the NC.
"The NC was supposed to stay in opposition until the seven-party alliance went to the President and proposed me as the prime minister," said Prachanda, "I will float a proposal on sharing either President or Speaker with the NC since it gave me the vote of confidence."
"This issue will be discussed in an all-party meeting on January 17 and then we will finalize it," added Prachanda.
He further said that in a meeting with Oli, they agreed to give a full shape to the Council of Ministers by tomorrow evening. However, this statement contradicts the plan to form a national consensus government including NC.
"In the meeting with Oli, we agreed to give a full shape to the cabinet by tomorrow evening and a full meeting will be convened on Monday," said Prachanda.
According to a source at the Maoist Center, Prachanda is trying to forge a consensus to give either President or Speaker to the NC.
In the meeting between Prachanda and Oli this morning, they might have agreed to give one post to the NC, a Maoist Center leader claimed.
"The UML is unlikely to cede President to the NC. They might have agreed to give the Speaker to the NC," said he, "Given the preparations to give a full shape to the cabinet by tomorrow, the NC will not join the government. It might request the prime minister not to remove ambassadors and some other constitutional appointments made by the Deuba-led government."
But a UML leader ruled out the agreement between the UML and the Maoist Center on the distribution of President or Speaker with the NC.
"It is not unnatural for the prime minister to float a proposal of a national consensus government after receiving the vote of confidence from the NC, too," said the UML leader, "But there has been no agreement on sharing either President or Speaker with the NC, nor will the NC join the government."
"There has been a tacit agreement between the UML and the Maoist Center to lead the prime ministership, the President, and the Speaker on a rotational basis. Prachanda has already become the prime minister in line with this agreement. I don't think Prachanda will go against this agreement," he said.
