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Nepal's government formation in limbo
Nepal's government formation is in a limbo after five main parties failed to name a consensus candidate for the PM's post.
Government formation in Nepal was in limbo after five major political parties failed to name a consensus candidate for prime minister as had been requested by King Gyanendra.
Gyanendra is left with the task of choosing from among the 35 people who submitted their names by Monday's 5 p.m. deadline as potential candidates for the prime minister's post.
They include, a former prime minister, a former deputy prime minister, three former ministers, a journalist, a boxer and three college students.
A lingering campaign by the five political parties for restoring democracy in the kingdom led to prime minister Surya Bahadur Thapa stepping down last month. He has been functioning in a caretaker capacity since then.
The political parties have been demanding that the elected parliament that the king dissolved in 2002 be restored.
The king countered by asking the political parties to name a consensus
candidate for the prime minister's job by Monday. Even as they failed to do so, differences have appeared between them on the issue.
While the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist was keen on
submitting a name, the other four, including the Nepali Congress party of former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala, opposed it saying that a nomination by the king would be an undemocratic way of electing a prime minister.
All eyes are now on the palace to see whether Gyanendra chooses from among the 35 applicants or thinks of something else.
One option would be to restore Sher Bahadur Deuba, whose ouster as prime minister in October 2002, when parliament was also dissolved, provoked the agitation by political parties to restore democracy.
