Prachanda pulls for power balance in cabinet

Kathmandu, July 11 : Nepal's Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Friday floated a new proposal to keep the power-balance in the ministerial council without stressing on the positions of the president and Constituent Assembly (CA) Chairman in the soon-to-be formed government as part of an attempt to garner support of the Nepali Congress (NC) and Communist Party of Nepal- Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML).

According to Kantipur, speaking at a programme at the Reporters Club in Kathmandu today, the Maoist Chairman asked both the NC and UML, the second and third largest parties in the CA, not to take up the issues of the presidential and CA chairman positions as power-sharing.

CPN-UML General Secretary Jhala Nath Khanal said that his party should be given the presidency for playing a vital role in the democratic movement and peace process.

Likewise, Nepali Congress Vice-President Ramchandra Poudel claimed that the NC has the right to choose the post of President as the second largest party in the CA.

Meanwhile, former CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal said that the President should be appointed through a political consensus.

Stressing on consensus politics, Nepal stated that it was not necessary to pull him into the argument over the presidential post.

The major political parties who have stuck to power-sharing in the future government, which is likely to be led by the Maoists as the largest party in the CA, and are yet to agree on the appointment of the President even after the conduction of landmark CA elections.

ANI