Constituent Assembly in Nepal Extended

The three biggest political parties in Nepal- the Maoists, the Nepali Congress and the Unified Marxists-Leninists- agreed to extend the constituent assembly for one more year until May2011. The term of constituent assembly was set to expire on 28 May2010. The parties brought out a three- point agreement under which besides extending the term of constituent assembly the present Prime Minister of Nepal Madhav Kumar Nepal would resign as soon as possible. However, despite this agreement Prime Minister has not shown any inclination to resign. He appears to be hinting that unless Maoists don’t deliver on their promises to return all the properties seized by them during the insurgency period he will not resign. Maoists have threatened nationwide agitation in that case.

The present crisis in Nepal could be resolved only if there is mutual consensus between all the three major parties. Maoists as the single largest party should be given a chance to lead the government but the support of Nepali Congress and the Unified Marxist Leninist party is also essential for proper governance of Nepal.