Nepal parties agree to form unity government after cabinet quits
KATHMANDU - The entire cabinet of Nepal quit Friday to pave the way to form a coalition government that will include main opposition parties in a bid to curb political unrest in the Himalayan state.
All 48 members of the government resigned at midnight after Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, a former rebel leader, signed a five point deal agreed by the three major political parties Maoists, Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) and the conglomeration of Madeshi parties.
Bhattarai is expected to form the new government in a couple of days and end the stalemate among parties on contentious issues and complete the drafting of a new constitution within the next three weeks.
Opposition parties have been demanding a consensus government before agreeing on the new constitution, a key condition of the peace deal that ended a conflict in the Himalayan state in which more than 16,000 people were killed.
All the major opposition parties have decided to promulgate the new statute by May 27. The new government will be responsible for conducting the next general elections within a year.
Other points in the deal are completion of the peace process as per existing agreements and regular meetings of the political parties to expedite constitution drafting.
"This is a very important development for Nepal. It has created a strong foundation for completing the constitution writing process on schedule," Bhattarai told media persons after the deal was signed.
Nepal's present Constituent Assembly was elected in 2008 with a mandate to complete the new constitution within two years, but power struggle among parties and differences on key issues have delayed the process leading to several extensions of its tenure.
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