No homework for Maoist; UML, NC discuss twice

KATHMANDU, Aug 11 - With the Prime Minister's election date announced, the four major political parties in the CA said Monday that they have settled down to try their best to elect the Prime Minister unopposed through a consensus.Marathon meetings among the four big parties --- CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress (NC), ... ...and Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF) --- have been carried out daily unable to break the deadlock in government formation.However, the parties have said they will try their best to seek consensus so that the Prime Minister can be elected unopposed through the CA on the stipulated date, Friday.The parties said that they will try to resolve the dispute over the allocation of the Defence Ministry today and will be holding bilateral and trilateral talks for understanding today as well.The Maoists did not hold consultations with any parties today with party spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara informing that the Maoists did not carry out any homework on the formation of the government.The NC and the UML leaders held talks at the latter's parliamentary party office in Singhadurbar this noon.Emerging from the meeting, NC vice-president Ram Chandra Poudel said that the matter of consensus is up to the Maoists.The NC has also urged the UML to help them get the Defence Ministry.Earlier this morning, top leaders of the NC met with UML outgoing General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal at his residence in Koteshwor.According to reports, the NC indirectly suggested that the government must be formed under the leadership of the UML, during the meeting.The UML expressed its stance on forming the new government with national consensus.At the meeting, NC leader Poudel urged the UML to help the NC press the Maoists to give up the Defence Ministry portfolio.MPRF chairman Upendra Yadav informed that an understanding may be reached if a party other than the NC and the Maoists is allocated the Defence Ministry.Meanwhile yesterday, the Maoists had said that they were ready to give up one of the ministries among the Defence, Finance and Home inorder to reach an understanding, while caretaker Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's party NC has maintained that it will stay in opposition if they were not allocated the Defence Ministry.The country's politics has been facing a deadlock after the Maoists and the NC remained at loggerheads over the Defence Ministry.Only yesterday, the President officially requested the 601-member CA to initiate procedures to elect the Prime Minister through voting.Article 38 (2) of the Interim Constitution tells that the Prime Minister shall be elected through a majority of two-thirds of the members of the Legislature-Parliament, if consensus cannot be reached.

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