Political deal done, now for action in governance
Three months after the election to the second Constituent Assembly was held, it is heartening to note that Nepal finally has a new leader. Sworn in on Tuesday as the 37th Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr Sushil Koirala is the country's sixth head of state since 2008 when the erstwhile Hindu kingdom began transitioning from a parliamentary monarchy to a democratic republic after ending a decades-long Maoist insurgency. This process has been fraught with challenges and often threatened by a divisive political establishment. Consequently, the Constitution of Nepal, one of the most important deliverables of the transition process, has remained elusive. As Prime Minister Koirala takes charge, his primary responsibility is to finish drafting the Constitution over the next 12 months. It will include dealing with polarising opinions and a significant amount of consensus-building. For a 74-year-old leader, who has never held a ministerial portfolio in his six-decade-long political career, this may be a daunting task. But Mr Koirala, whose family has produced three other Prime Ministers, is a highly-respected figure in Kathmandu, and his clean image endears him to the average Nepali as well. This allows the elder statesman a certain amount of moral strength which should help him shepherd Nepal's young democracy.
The last-minute deal brokered by Mr Koirala between his Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist leninist — the two largest parties in the new Constituent Assembly — has ensured that the political process in Kathmandu remains on track. The Communists did not put up a prime ministerial candidate and voted for Mr Koirala, whose Nepali Congress does not have the numbers for a simple majority. In the process, a 2011-like situation (with 16 rounds of voting to elect a Prime Minister) was averted. The two parties also agreed on holding elections to the posts of President and Vice President next year after the Constitution is promulgated. This somewhat resolves the contentious issue of incumbents from the previous CA continuing in their positions in the new formation. However, many points of divergence remain. For instance, the Communists have threatened to stay away from the new Government if they are denied the Home Ministry — a key portfolio that will assume greater importance if local elections, that haven't been held in years, are now conducted, as expected. Appointments to other top positions such as that of the Deputy Prime Minister — also being eyed by the Communists — will probably prove to be equally contentious. Politicking among the bigger parties notwithstanding, the smaller outfits will also have to be taken into consideration, as they are growing in strength and influence. This was notably demonstrated by the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal, which took people by surprise when it voted against Mr Koirala after it had initially supported his bid for prime ministership.