Elect new PM

REPUBLICA

Even two weeks after outgoing Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal tendered his resignation we are still far, far from electing a new prime minister. Many people, including some political party leaders, had argued that Prime Minister Nepal was the major roadblock to breaking the political deadlock and claimed that the stalemate would be over as soon as he bowed out. Far from ending the political crises and building consensus, it now appears the parties may not even be able to pick a new prime minister on July 21, the day parliament is scheduled to hold the PM election.

The Maoist party had maintained, until the PM resigned, that they would show maximum flexibility in reaching a deal on the contentious issues of the peace process, mainly on the PLA, the YCL and the return of seized property. Following the resignation, the party has not just been sticking to its previous stances but is actually backsliding on many past commitments. It now appears the party does not have any confidence in the people who voted for them and made them the largest party in the CA, and they want to cling to the instruments of violence for their political survival. A pity on the Maoists.

For those who thought the prime minister´s resignation would build trust among the parties, just the opposite is happening: the differences among the major parties have widened and mistrust has deepened. This has raised a serious question mark over the successful completion of the peace process and the writing of the constitution. It is now clear that it won´t be a consensus government and the formation of a majority government will further increase the bitterness among the major parties. And if they have failed to strike a deal now when they had one more opportunity to come together, bury the hatchet and work for a common goal, it´s almost certain they are less likely to do so in future. Forget consensus, even cooperation among the parties will be hard to achieve in the days ahead.

All that said, the country cannot be run by a caretaker government for long, let alone indefinitely. Neither the bureaucracy nor the security agencies take sincerely the orders emanating from a prime minister who has packed his bags at Baluwatar. During times such as these the state loses its grip on society, emboldening elements that want to further destabilize things. Since we are at the beginning of a new fiscal year, it´s a crucial time for key economic decision making. All this is now on hold. We must form a new government sooner than later and come up with a full-fledged budget. It´s far better to elect a new government, albeit a majority-based one, than to run a country with a caretaker government. Give us a new prime minister on July 21.

Source: http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=21044