Kathmandu, February 20
Nepal’s two major communist parties the CPN UML, the party with the most number of seats in Parliament, and the Maoist Centre, the third party in the House, have formally signed a merger deal. With the agreement, the two allies of the Left Alliance, are expected to announce the formation of Nepal Communist Party. The CPN-UML and the Maoist Centre have decided that ‘Marxism-Leninism’ will be the core ideology of the new party.
UML Chairman and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and the Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ signed the historic deal at the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar, late on Monday. UML leaders Jhalanath Khanal, Madhav Kumar Nepal, Bamdev Gautam and Ishwor Pokharel and Maoist leaders Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Ram Bahadur Thapa also signed the agreement.
Similarly, the two parties have agreed to work on an interim statute of the new party and jointly organise its general convention to expedite the merger process.
Although the parties have agreed on Marxism-Leninism as their core ideology, they will continue the conversation on the UML’s ‘People’s Democracy’ and the former rebel party’s Maoist ideology.
Sources say that although it is not mentioned in the deal, Oli shall retain premiership and hand over the post to Prachanda after three years. Similarly, both Oli and Prachanda will be co-chairs of the new party and will take turns in chairing key party meetings.
