Nepali Congress Re-Unites

As Nepal heads towards key elections in November, the political equation in the country is changing dramatically. Having been at odds for the past five years, the country’s two senior leaders, Girija Prasad Koirala and Sher Bahadur Deuba, have decided to come together. A move which many say could help the Nepali Congress Party consolidate its position in the forthcoming elections.

"I think it is significant because it is a very important time in the history of Nepal and we will have a constituent assembly polls and it is going be the united force against the left’s politics," said Lokraj Baral, a political expert from Kathmandu.

The Nepali Congress is the country’s largest democratic party. It won a majority in the 1999 elections and formed a government. But the party split in 2002 following a difference in opinion between Koirala and Deuba on the question of leadership.

Personality clash

However, Mr Baral said this was not the only issue: "It was not only a leadership clash but also a personality clash. Now Girija Prasad is not going to continue for a long time. Sher Bahadur has also compromised on the some issues. So I don’t think there will be any problems."

The merger of the Nepali Congress factions comes as the government faces a growing challenge from the Maoists, who left the interim cabinet last week. The Maoists have blamed the government for not doing enough to implement key reforms aimed at keeping King Gyanendra and the army out of politics, and for not declaring the country a republic.

They have also accused the country's armed forces of plotting a coup. Some see the Maoists misgivings as genuine, while others say they are prompted by the Maoists’ fear of losing the elections.

Maoists are worried

"I don’t think that the monarchy is the main issue," Baral said. "All are going the republican way. The main issue is that the Maoists fear they might lose the base and the election is not going to help them. They might not come to the level of the Congress."

After last year’s democracy protests, which forced the King to restore democracy in the country, the mainstream political parties and Maoists signed a historic peace deal. The move was a key step to ending a decade-old conflict that claimed tens of thousands of lives.

But the withdrawal of the Maoists from the government last week clearly suggests that dark clouds are looming over the upcoming polls. And as the Maoists currently hold crucial 84 seats in the 329-seat interim parliament, many hope to see a compromise between the two sides soon, as the elections cannot take place without the Maoists on board.