He has been in Nepali jail on the charge of murdering two American tourists…reports Asian Lite News
Charles Gurumukh Sobhraj Hotchand Bhawnani, the French citizen with Vietnamese and Indian parentage committed a string of murders throughout Asia in the 1970s. Sobhraj, who has been implicated in more than 20 killings, served 21 years in prison in India for poisoning a French tourist and killing an Israeli national.
He was known as “the Bikini Killer” due to the attire of several of his victims, as well as “the Splitting Killer” and “the Serpent”, due to “his snake-like ability to avoid detection by authorities”.
Sobhraj had travelled to Nepal with a fake identity from Hong Kong when he was arrested in the Nepali capital Kathmandu by Police. Sobhraj, now 78, has been in Nepali jail since 2003 after he was arrested from a casino in Kathmandu nearly three decades ago.
He has been in Nepali jail on the charge of murdering two American tourists.
Sobhraj, who has been serving a 19-year jail term on the charge of murders at the central jail, had filed habeas corpus petitions through his lawyer. He claimed that he had completed his jail term as per the ‘concessions’ entitled to senior citizens of Nepal.
District Court, Bhaktapur, had slapped him with a life sentence for the murder of American citizen Connie Jo Bronzich and Canadian citizen Laurent Carriere in December 1975.
According to the court’s verdict, Sobhraj will have to stay in jail till September 18, 2023, to serve 20 years’ imprisonment as per the term of a life sentence.
Last December, Sobhraj had filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court demanding that the government ‘provide relief to senior citizens’.
He claimed in the writ petition that he had already served 17 of the 20 years of his sentence and had already been recommended for release for behaving well.
In a response sought by the court whether Shobraj should be given an exemption following his writ petition, the Nepal government had said that Sobhraj’s crime had not been exempted and that he would not be exempted as he was a foreign national.
“There is no provision in the law for the offender to be exempted due to age, disease, or other reasons. Although imprisonment can be reduced, it cannot be reduced in cases of murder, smuggling, rape, escape, etc,” read the written reply of the government.
Along with the verdict to release him on grounds of health and age, the court also has ordered his deportation but hasn’t mentioned where he would be deported. (ANI)
Exercise “Surya Kiran” is conducted annually between India and Nepal with the aim to enhance interoperability in jungle warfare and counter-terrorism operations…reports Asian Lite News
Nepal and India are all set to conduct the 16th edition of Surya Kiran from today, the joint military training exercise between the two South Asian nations.
The 16th Edition of Indo-Nepal joint training Exercise “Surya Kiran-XVI” between India and Nepal will be conducted at Nepal Army Battle School, Saljhandi (Nepal), from December 16 – 29, 2022, read the Ministry of Defence press release. “Indian Army contingent reached Nepal to participate in the 16th Edition of India-Nepal Joint Training Exercise Surya Kiran 2022. The exercise aims to share experience gained by both Armies in Counter Terrorism and Disaster Relief operations,” tweeted Indian Army.
Exercise “Surya Kiran” is conducted annually between India and Nepal with the aim to enhance interoperability in jungle warfare and counter-terrorism operations in mountainous terrain and HADR under UN mandate.
Nepal Army soldiers of the Shree Bhawani Baksh Battalion and Indian Army soldiers from the 5 GR will be participating in the exercise. The two armies, through these contingents, shall be sharing the experiences gained during the conduct of various counter-insurgency operations over the years in their respective countries, added the release.
“Indian Army troops arrived today in Saljhandi, Nepal for the 16th Joint India-Nepal Military Ex #SURYAKIRAN. The exercises are a paragon for exchange of professional experience & cementing the friendship bw two armies,” tweeted the Embassy of India, Kathmandu.
The joint exercise would focus on the evolution of combined drills for planning and conduct of tactical operations at the unit level in counter-terrorism operations and disaster response mechanisms in general and the role of armed forces in the management of disasters.
During the exercise, participants will be training together to develop inter-operability and share their experience including Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorist operations and also on Humanitarian Relief operations.
The joint military exercise will enhance the level of defence cooperation which will further foster the bilateral relations between the two nations, said the release.
Surya Kiran is a bilateral Joint Military Exercise between India and Nepal. Indian Army and Nepal Army participate in the Surya Kiran exercise.
The 15th edition of Indo-Nepal Joint Military Training Exercise Surya Kiran was held on September 20, 2021, at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand.
The 14th edition of the exercise took place in Saljhandi, Nepal in 2019.
The biannual exercise, which takes place alternately in both countries aims to establish military relations in inaccessible mountainous areas by the soldiers of both countries; Provide humanitarian assistance under disaster management; Get training in anti-terrorist operations, and build interoperability and sharing expertise between the two countries. (ANI)
The Embassy of India in Kathmandu in a press release noted that the construction of the projects will provide better education facilities, better health care facilities…reports Asian Lite News
The Embassy of India and the Nepal Government’s Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration on Monday signed a Memorandum of
Understandings (MoUs) for undertaking three High Impact Development Projects (HICDP) in Nepal under the grant assistance of the Government of India, one each in the Education, Health Care and Drinking Water Sectors, a press release from the Indian Embassy in Nepal stated. Three projects include the construction of Shree Janata Belaka Secondary School
Building in Udayapur District, construction of Ngonga Thenchowk Chholing Meditation Centre in Soulukhumbu Distirct and construction of Lisnekhola Tikasung Dangchet Jharlang Water Supply Project in Dhading District. The projects would be implemented at a total estimated cost of NRs.101.79 million.
Nepal india
The Embassy of India in Kathmandu in a press release noted that the construction of the above projects will provide better education facilities, better health care facilities and safe drinking water facilities for the local community and improve the quality of life for people in Nepal.
The Embassy of India in Nepal further said, “As close neighbours, India and Nepal share wide-ranging and multi-sectoral cooperation. The implementation of these projects reflects the continued support of the Government of India in bolstering the efforts of the Government of Nepal in the upliftment of its people”.
Since 2003, India has taken up over 532 High Impact Development Projects (HICDPs) in Nepal and has completed 476 projects in the areas of health, education, drinking water, connectivity, sanitation and creation of other public utilities across all 7 provinces of Nepal at the grassroots level.
Indian Embassy in Nepal tweeted, “Today, @IndiaInNepal & @mofaganepal signed an MoU for 3 HICDP projects in Nepal under GoI grant in Edu, Health & Drinking Water Sectors in Udayapur, Solukhumbu & Dhading respectively, at a total estimated cost of NRs. 101.79 million.” (ANI)
Nepali Congress, the present ruling coalition, has emerged as the single largest party under the FPTP election system by winning 57 seats out of 165…reports Asian Lite News
Nepal’s Election Commission on Wednesday unveiled the final election results of November 20 elections of the Himalayan nation.
Nepal went to the second federal and provincial elections after the promulgation of the Constitution in 2015 that declared the country as a federal, and secular republic by abolishing the century-old monarchy and unitary governance systems. The commission is planning to submit the results to the President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Thursday that will pave the way for formation of the new government by setting up the new house.
Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya held a press conference on Wednesday to inform about the decision. After submitting the report to the president, the names of the elected MPs will be published in the Nepal Gazette, he said.
The commission made public the results of the elections held under the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) and Proportional Representation (PR) categories.
Nepal polls (Xinhua/Sunil Sharma/IANS)
According to the election results report, a total of 825 people were elected – 275 to the House of Representatives and 550 to the seven provincial assemblies.
The report mentions that 184 men (66.90 per cent) and 91 women (33.10 per cent) have been elected to the House of Representatives and 350 men (63.64 per cent) and 200 women (36.36 per cent) to the seven provincial assemblies.
Nepali Congress, the present ruling coalition, has emerged as the single largest party under the FPTP election system by winning 57 seats out of 165. The party was contesting only in 91 seats and divided other seats to the coalition partners. The CPN-UML has won 44 seats under the FPTP while the CPN-Maoist Centre has won 18 seats and become the third largest party.
The CPN-UML won the highest number of seats under the PR category followed by Nepali Congress in the election held on November 20.
The UML garnered 34 seats, the NC 32, Maoist Centre 14, the Rastriya Swatantra Party 13, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party 7, and the Janata Samajwadi Party and the Janamat Party 5 each under the PR system.
Thapaliya added that the report of the provincial assembly election will be submitted to the head of the state on December 17. The Chief Election Commissioner also said that the Election Commission will hold a special programme to distribute certificates to the MPs who were elected through the proportional representation electoral system.
In addition, the Commission also said that the security deposits of 4,285 candidates, who contested the election to the House of Representatives and the provincial assemblies, were confiscated in this election. There is a legal provision to confiscate the security deposits of candidates who get less than 10 per cent of the total valid votes. The bonds of 40 parties that submitted the closed list in the House of Representatives have also been confiscated.
The Indian side has taken up the matter saying that some of the citizens were also injured during the course of stone pelting and urged to take action against the perpetrators….reports Asian Lite News
Nepal and India have engaged in a new diplomatic row after Nepali citizens pelted stones at Indian nationals on the order side of the border over the embankment construction by the Indian side.
The incident on Sunday led to the injuries of four Nepali nationals, including a minor.
The locals at Khalanga, the district headquarters of Darchula on the Nepali side, had sternly protested against India’s unilateral construction of an embankment to divert the flow of the Mahakali River.
The irate locals fear that their settlement could be at risk due to the embankment.
They had demanded that the construction work be halted immediately.
In Kathmandu, the Ministry of Home Affairs has written a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs urging them to take up the matter with the Indian side regarding the incident.
The Indian side has taken up the matter saying that some of the citizens were also injured during the course of stone pelting and urged to take action against the perpetrators.
“Mahakali is a border river. If the structure made on the border affects the other side, such unilateral works should be stopped immediately,” said Rajan Bhattarai, head of the CPN-UML’s international relations department.
“What is happening in Mahakali should be stopped immediately and find an agreement through bilateral talks in this matter so that the bank of the river would not be changed. Since this is a federal government issue, the Centre should take the initiative,” Bhattarai said.
On Monday, officials of Nepal and India discussed Sunday’s incident.
According to the Chief District Officer (CDO) of Darchula Dirgha Raj Upadhyay, both sides have agreed not to construct the embankment in such a way that incurs a loss to both sides.
“The two sides agreed not to construct an embankment immediately at the place where the dispute ensued and construct only in the place where there was no dispute,” said Assistant CDO Hemanti Saud.
Present in the meeting were chiefs of the security agencies and representatives of political parties from the Nepal side while the talk team of the Indian side included Additional District Magistrates and Sub-Divisional Magistrates.
The Indian side has installed a gabion net some 7 to 10 meters from the site where the embankment was under-construction.
The Nepali side requested the Indian side to remove it immediately.
Deuba's Nepali Congress and Oli's CPN (UML) likely to make big electoral gains in Madhes, Nepal's swing state(IN)
The update revealed that the CPN-UML secured 44 seats followed by CPN (Maoist Centre) with 18….reports Asian Lite News
The ruling Nepali Congress led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has emerged as the largest party after winning 57 seats of the 165 in the House of Representatives, as per the latest vote count update on Monday.
The update revealed that the CPN-UML secured 44 seats followed by CPN (Maoist Centre) with 18.
Nepali Congress had contested 91 out of the 165 seats under the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) due to the alliance with other parties.
Similarly, the ruling party has secured the second position under the proportional vote count after the UML.
The final result under the FPTP was announced on Monday morning while vote counting under proportional representation is in the last stage, said Election Commission.
With no party securing the majority seats in the elections, there will be a hung parliament for the next house session for five years and more than two political parties need to come together to form the government.
But if traditional forces and established forces like the Nepali Congress and CPN�UML come together, no third party will require to form the government.
Nepal ruling parties agree to extend poll alliance ahead of November elections.(photo:IN)
Deuba is the President of the Nepali Congress, while former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is the Chairman of the CPN�UML.
Similarly, CPN (Unified Socialist) got 10 seats, while the Rastriya Swatantra Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party got seven seats each, according to the Election Commission of Nepal.
Led by a popular television host, Rabi Lammichane, the Rastriya Swatantra Party which was registered only in June this year, has surprised many in this election.
The party has challenged the bastion of the old and established parties like Nepali Congress, CPN�UML, and CPN (Maoist Center). The Rastriya Swatantra Party is likely to win over 14 seats under the proportional representation whose results are yet to be announced.
Meanwhile, the Janata Samajwadi Party got seven seats and Lokatantrik Samajwadi Party secured four, Nagarik Unmukti Party in 2, Nepal Workers and Peasants Party, Rastriya Janamorcha and Janamat Party in one each.
Likewise, five independent candidates have been elected to House of Representatives under the FPTP, the Commission said.
As election results are at the final stage, both Nepali Congress and UML are bracing towards forming the new government and it is likely that the current coalition led by the Nepali Congress which is supported by the CPN (Maoist Center) and, CPN (Unified Socialist) will form the next government.
The defeat of Yadav, a former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, comes as a serious setback to his political career…writes Santosh Ghimire
The electoral defeat of Upendra Yadav, one of the most prominent leaders of Nepal’s Madhes region, has grabbed wide attention in the country.
He contested polls from Saptari-2 election constituency which borders India’s Bihar state.
Yadav, who made his mark in regional and national politics after spearheading the 2008 Madhes movement, was defeated by CK Raut, chairman of the newly-formed Janamat Party.
Raut, who ran a separatist movement with a demand to split Terai-Madhes region from Nepal, gave up his campaign and joined mainstream politics in March, 2019.
The defeat of Yadav, a former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, comes as a serious setback to his political career.
Yadav’s charm in Madhes sharply declined in the last five years as he got mired in the quagmire of power politics in Kathmandu, while deviating from his core original agenda that he championed for the past over a decade, according to observers.
In previous elections, Yadav lured voters claiming he would make ground for amending the constitution to meet their demands. But when he came to power, he failed to live up to his promises-he could not lobby for creating a situation for the constitutional amendment. Rather, he got mired in the quagmire of power politics. Because of his failure to vocally advocate the Madhes agenda, Sitaram Baral, a Kathmandu-based political analyst, told India Narrative.
According to Baral, Yadav’s alliance with the opposition CPN (UML) was opportunistic. The UML is a centrist and anti-federalist force while Yadav’s party champions federalism. Hence their alliance was based on electoral calculations rather than ideology. This didn’t benefit Yadav’s party at all, he added.
The caste factor didn’t work for Upendra Yadav either. Traditionally, caste-based voting is also one of the major factors for Madhes-centric leaders to win elections. In the recently-held elections, Yadav seems to have failed to play that card, according to another political observer. The election result of Yadav’s constituency suggests that caste-based politics does not always pay in Madhesh. Candidates’ popularity and emotional connections have come to matter more, Sohan Shah, another political analyst, has been quoted by Kathmandu Post newspaper as saying.
Nepal’s Madhes Province borders India and shares close socio-cultural affinity with the neighbouring country. There are eight districts in the province, with 32 federal parliamentary seats. There are 107 seats in the provincial assembly headquartered in Janakpur.
The Nepali Congress has been the most influential political force in the Terai-Madhes region even after the emergence of regional parties on account of a massive Madhes uprising in 2008.
Since then, Madhes-centric parties remained the dominant political force in Madhes. These regional parties also played a vital role in the formation and dissolution of successive governments in the Centre.
Madhes in quest for drastic change
The CK Raut-led Janamat Party has made a strong foray in Madhes through the recent elections. Observers believe that the rise of a new party in Madhes reflects people’s aspirations for changing the old guard.
Madhesi people voted for new parties like Janamat Party because they are aspiring for change. As established Madhes-centric parties failed to live up to their expectations, they sought an alternative.
The rise of Janamat Party should be understood in this light.
Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) and the Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP) have secured five seats and four seats in the House of Representatives, the lower house of federal parliament while faring poorly in the provincial assembly too.
The newly-formed Janamat Party ked by CK Raut has won at least one seat in federal parliament and six seats in the provincial assembly.
(Santosh Ghimire is the Nepal correspondent of India Narrative based in Kathmandu)
(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
Nepal ruling parties agree to extend poll alliance ahead of November elections.(photo:IN)
An understanding between the key partners in the Deuba-led government has been reached to give continuity to the government, a report by Santosh Ghimire
The existing five-party ruling coalition in Nepal is highly likely to continue its alliance for the next five years following post-poll talks among its leaders.
An understanding between the key partners in the Deuba-led government has been reached to give continuity to the government, according to leaders.
Top leaders of the ruling alliance have intensified talks within the alliance to form the government.
On Monday morning, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who himself is keen to return to power, invited Pusha Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda, chairman of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Center) and chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Socialist) Madhav Kumar Nepal to his official residence in Baluwatar.
The heavyweights of the ruling alliance have principally agreed to continue the existing ruling coalition, according to sources.
The development comes at a time when the Congress-led ruling coalition is nearly winning a majority of parliamentary seats through recently-held elections.
Narayan Kaji Shrestha, vice president of the Maoist Center, a major partner of the five-party grouping, also indicated that the ruling alliance will continue for another five years as it has been able to get a clear majority of seats in the House of Representatives.
The alliance requires 138 seats in parliament to form the new government. Nepal’s House of Representatives will go into polls to elect a new prime minister as per the existing practice.
“As vote counting results nears the final stage, the ruling alliance has secured a majority of seats in parliament. Hence, it is highly likely that the existing alliance will continue,” Shrestha told India Narrative on Monday morning.
However, he said that the ruling parties are yet to hold a formal discussion on the formation of the post-election government. “Once the vote tally concludes, the ruling parties will work for the same,” Shrestha added.
Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand, who is also a senior leader of the chief ruling party Nepali Congress, the partners in the coalition are principally agreed to run the coalition government for another five years.
“The coalition government will last another five years,” he told journalists in southwestern Bhairahawa city on Sunday.
Of the total 165 electoral constituencies under the directly elected First Past The Post (FPTP) category for the lower house of federal parliament, the poll results from 158 election constituencies have been made public by the Election Commission of Nepal. The poll results from the remaining seven constituencies are likely to be unveiled by Tuesday evening.
The main opposition Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist), which went into polls in alliance with the Madhes-centric Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) and pro-monarchy Rastriya Prajantra Party (RPP), is at the second position by winning 42 seats under the FPTP category for the lower house while leading in one seat.
The key coalition partners in the incumbent Deuba-led government, the CPN (Maoist Center) and the CPN (Unified Socialist) are in the distant third and fourth position with 17 and 10 seats respectively. The newly-formed Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is in the fifth position with seven seats under the FPTP category. The Terai-centric Janta Samajbadi Party and Rajendra Lingden-led Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) managed to secure seven seats each, ranking in the sixth position.
Other three Terai-centric fringe parties LSP, Nagarik Unmukti Party and Janamat Party have secured four seats, three seats and one seat respectively.
As of now, incumbent PM Deuba and Maoist Centre Chairman Prachanda are seen as two key aspirants for the post of prime minister, the top executive post of the country. Apart from the two, leaders of the Nepali Congress Gagan Thapa, Prakashman Singh, Shashanka Koirala and Ram Chandra Poudel are also projecting themselves as the next prime minister.
On Monday morning, Poudel, a senior leader of the Congress party, met Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal to see the possibility of the formation of the government under his leadership.
UML’s Oli also eyeing for PM
The main opposition, the CPN (UML) Chairman Oli has also intensified talks with leaders of the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Center) to see the possibility of the new government under his leadership. Ahead of elections, Oli projected himself as the next prime minister, if elected.
Oli rang up Maoist Chairman Prachanda on Thursday while he invited Nepali Congress senior leader Prakash Man Singh to his residence on Sunday, apparently in his bid to form a government under his leadership.
NC emerges largest party, UML in second position under FPTP
The elections to the House of Representatives and provincial assemblies were held on November 20 and vote counting results from the elections are entering the final phase.
As per the vote counting results under the FPTP category for the HoR, the lower house of federal parliament, the Nepali Congress has emerged the single largest party with 53 seats while leading in two constituencies. It had fielded candidacy for 84 seats as per the seat-sharing arrangement between the ruling parties.
The Nepali Congress contested elections in an alliance with the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Center), the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Socialist), Rastriya Janamorcha and the Madhes-centric Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP).
UML in top position under PR category, NC in second
The vote counting for the proportionate representation (PR) category for the House of Representatives is also underway.
As per the vote tally, the CPN (UML) is at the top position with 2,534,323 votes while the ruling Congress party is in the second position with 2,399,831 votes. The Ravi Lamichhane-led RSP has achieved 1,063,718 votes followed by the ruling CPN (Maoist Center) with 1,062,747 votes.
This was the second time Nepal held general elections after the promulgation of a new republican constitution in 2015.
The voter turnout of the elections was recorded 61%, the lowest ever since 2008 when Nepal entered the republican system abolishing a 240-year monarchy.
Of the total 275 seats of the House of Representatives, 165 seats are directly elected while the remaining 110 seats are allocated under the Proportional Representational (PR) category.
Among the 550 seats of the seven provincial assemblies, 330 are elected through direct election and the remaining 220 are elected under the PR system.
With a hung parliament likely, who will run the next government in Nepal?.(photo:IN)
A coalition government is inevitable since no party is going to secure the magic number on its own, a report by Santosh Ghimire
As vote counting for the recently held elections enters its final stage, all are eyeing on who will eventually form the government.
Nepal held elections to federal parliament and provincial assemblies on Sunday this week. This was the second time Nepalis voted for the general elections after the promulgation of a republican constitution in 2015.
Out of a total of 275 members of the federal Parliament, 165 are to be elected through direct voting (first-past-the-post) and the remaining 110 are to be elected through proportional representation (PR) category. Similarly, out of a total of 550 members of the provincial assemblies, 330 are to be elected directly and 220 are to be elected through the PR system.
The Nepali Congress and the CPN (UML), which have emerged as the first and second largest force in parliament, are openly staking their claims for the leadership of the government. Both are eager keen to form government under their own leadership by bringing other parties onboard.
At least 138 parliamentary seats are required to form a majority government. In the present situation, no party is going to secure the magic number on its own. Hence, a coalition government is inevitable, according to political observers.
(Photo: India Narrative)
These are possible three scenarios in the post-election scenario: First scenario: Continuity of existing alliance
The Nepali Congress wants to keep the current ruling alliance intact and take the government leadership. The CPN (Maoist Center), the CPN (Unified Socialist), the Rastriya Jana Morcha and the Madhes-centric Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP) are the members of this alliance. This is also called ‘democratic-left’ alliance.
But the ruling alliance will have a big challenge to meet the required number of seats in parliament. It will therefore be dependent either on newer or smaller parties, according to experts.
“The existing ruling coalition will remain intact if it gets parliamentary backing from new parties like Rastriya Swatantra Party in parliament,” Sitaram Baral, a political analyst based in Kathmandu, told India Narrative.
As per the projections, the Nepali Congress is likely to secure 80 seats, the CPN (Maoist Center) 30 seats and the CPN (Unified Socialist) 10 seats, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party 10 seats and Rastriya Janamorcha one seat.
The combined parliamentary seats of the ruling alliance could be just around 130 and it won’t be enough to muster majority in parliament to form the government. Hence, the Deuba-led alliance will have to seek support either from newer parties like Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and pro-monarchy Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP).
Another challenge for the ruling coalition will be on power sharing, especially picking a common candidate for the post of prime minister. Broadly, there are two strong contenders for the post of prime minister-the incumbent PM Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Prachanda.
Apart from that, even within the Nepali Congress, other leaders like Gagan Thapa, Ramchandra Poudel and Shashanka Koirala are also projecting themselves as future prime minister, which can put Deuba in trouble.
The second scenario: Communist-dominated government
In such a scenario, Nepal may get a communist-dominated coalition government in which pro-monarchy forces and smaller parties will be also a player. There might be a coalition among the CPN (UML), CPN (Maoist Center), Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) and the pro-monarchy Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP). The communists may also bring other smaller parties including Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP) and Janamat Party on board to ensure comfortable majority in parliament.
Although cross-party talks are yet to begin on the formation of the government, the main opposition the CPN (UML), on his part, has already initiated talks for the same. On Wednesday, UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli telephoned CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal to explore such possibilities.
Third scenario
There could be an unlikely alliance between the Nepali Congress and the UML to form the government. But according to analysts, the alliance is theoretically possible but is seems unlikely at this point of time.
“If the two parties come together, they can comfortably secure majority in parliament. But for now, such alliance is unlikely,” analyst Baral said.
Kingmakers
The Prachanda-led CPN (Maoist Center), Laimchhane-led Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) will be kingmakers in the formation of the new government in the post-election context. However, RSP has shown little interest to join the government at least for now.
NC leading vote tally followed by UML
As the vote counting progresses, the chief ruling party Nepali Congress is in the first position with 44 seats and leading in 10 seats while the main opposition the CPN (UML) is in the second position with 34 seats and leading in 11 seats under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) category as of Friday afternoon.
Under the proportionate representation (PR) category, the UML is in the first position with 1,121,221 votes followed by the Congress party with 1,063,957 votes.
Two key players in the Congress-led government – CPN (Maoist Center) and the CPN (Unified Socialist)-are performing poorly in the vote tally under the FPTP category. The Maoist party is in the distant third position with 12 seats and leading in six seats while CPN (Unified Socialist) is in in the fourth position with just 10 seats.
The newly-formed Rastriya Swatantra Party is in the fifth position by gaining seven seats and leading in one seat under the FPTP category. However, the party has maintained third position in terms of proportionate representation (PR) category with 531,520 votes, leaving behind the CPN (Maoist) and the CPN (Unified Socialist) who have garnered 486,091 and 80,302 votes respectively.
Electoral alliance didn’t work
The CPN (Maoist Center) and the CPN (Unified Socialist), which went into polls under the ruling Congress-led alliance, have concluded that the electoral alliance didn’t really benefit them in the present election.
“As election results are halfway, we are realizing that the votes of Nepali Congress have not been transferred to other coalition partners including the Maoist Center. This time most Maoist Centre, Unified Socialist and Janamorcha candidates are far behind in vote tally while most Congress party candidates won elections,” Haribol Gajurel, a key leader of the Maoist party told India Narrative.
(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
The new Chinese ambassador is expected to take up his diplomatic assignment in late December, one official familiar with the development said…reports Asian Lite News
China has named Chen Song as its next ambassador to Nepal.
According to officials at Nepal’s foreign ministry, the Chinese side has notified them about their decision to designate Chen as next ambassador to Kathmandu.
Chen is currently one of the five deputy director generals at the Asian Affairs Department of Chinese foreign ministry. He oversees China’s relations with South Asian countries including Nepal, the Maldives and Afghanistan.
The new Chinese ambassador is expected to take up his diplomatic assignment in late December, one official familiar with the development said.
The new envoy’s nomination comes a month after then Chinese ambassador Hou Yanqi returned to Beijing completing her four-year tenure in Kathmandu.
The ambassador courted controversies for her intermediary role in bringing the two warring factions of the then ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) together when the party’s internal crisis was at its peak in 2020. Much to China’s chagrin, the NCP saw a vertical split in March 2021 after the Supreme Court’s verdict.
Ambassador Hou has been nominated as China’s next ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Chen, the new Chinese ambassador, will reach Kathmandu at a time when political parties will be in the process of forming a post-election government.
A Chinese watcher said that Beijing hopes to see a friendly government in the post-election period that can potentially advance its interests in Nepal.
“For the new ambassador, it will not be an easy task to advance Chinese interests amid the post-election flux,” he told India Narrative.
In his opinion, China’s number one priority is to check the growing American influence in Kathmandu and the new ambassador will work towards this end.
“If current Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba returns to power after elections, Beijing fears the American influence may further grow in Nepal,” observed.
Apart from that, Beijing wishes to push infrastructure projects in Nepal under the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) once the new dispensation is in place.
The Deuba-led present government, despite China’s repeated calls, rejected accepting commercial loans for rail-road connectivity projects under the BRI fearing a “debt trap”.
(Santosh Ghimire is the Nepal correspondent of India Narrative based in Kathmandu)
