Nepal Highlights

CPN (UML) has decided to file the nomination of chairman Jhala Nath Khanal for the post of Prime Minister for election slated for February 3. A Central Committee (CC) meeting at the party headquarters in Balkhu decided to forward chairman Khanal for the top executive post. The party has also decided to strive for consensus to form a national unity government till the last moment. At today's CC meeting, senior leader KP Oli had proposed to nominate Khanal as the prime ministerial candidate and another senior leader and the caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal had seconded the proposal.

Nepali Congress (NC) president Sushil Koirala has nominated nine persons for the post of Central Working Committee (CWC) members Monday evening in a bid to thwart Sher Bahadur Deuba camp's pressure to forward Deuba as the party's prime ministerial candidate. President Koirala nominated new CWC members, most of them loyal to him, to have a comfortable majority in the CWC if a situation of voting comes to decide the next prime ministerial candidate. Those nominated include Bhim Bahadur Tamang, defeated in the race for president in the general convention, Bimalendra Nidhi and Narhari Acharya, defeated in the race for general secretary and Padhma Narayan Chaudhary, defeated in the race for treasurer. Likewise, president Koirala has nominated Krishna Tamrakar, Dil Bahadur Gharti, Pharmullah Mansoor, Gopal Raj Pahadi and Leela Koirala as CWC members. The nominations need to be approved by elected CWC. NC president Koirala made the nominations even as his previous proposal to ...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has directed the Nepalese mission in Cairo to close down if required, Monday. The ministry directed the mission to close down if required after various missions including those of India, China and USA started closing and diplomats started returning to the home countries following unrest in the north-African country. According to first secretary at the Nepalese mission in Cairo, Tirtha Raj Aryal, the situation is very scary as the police deployed for the security of the embassy have not shown up since Saturday and internet and means of means of communication have been cut. There are over 400 Nepalis in Egypt with 200 domestic workers, 150 garment workers and 50 students.

Nepali Congress (NC) president Sushil Koirala has reiterated the claim for government leadership, Sunday.   Arguing that the UCPN (Maoist) and UML had already led the government Koirala said, it's now the turn of NC to lead the government.   Both the parties have already led the government, said Koirala speaking at a function in Bara Sunday, it's now NC's turn.   Koirala also clarified Ram Chandra Paudel would be forwarded as the prime ministerial candidate from the party.   According to our party statute, the leader of the parliamentary party becomes our prime ministerial candidate, said Koirala, we have not considered any alternatives.

The Madhes based parties are preparing to forward a common candidate for the post of Prime Minister with support of some fringe parties, if the largest three parties – Unified CPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC) and UML – do not reach a consensus and come up with a common candidate by the election date, Annapurna Post daily reported. The Madhes based parties came up with the strategy as the chances of consensus among the largest three parties is becoming slimmer before the 1 st round of prime ministerial election slated for coming Thursday. Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) chairman Upendra Yadav, MJF-Loktantrik chairman Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar or Terai Madhes Loktantrik Party (TMLP) chairman Mahanth Thakur is likely to be a common candidate from the Madhes based parties, according to a Madhes based leader. The parties have also worked out a strategy to woo all the fringe parties to vote for them in the election. The common candidate of the Madhes based parties will receive second ...

A piece of land bought by the Nepalese embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka is being illegally encroached to make a golf course due to carelessness of Nepalese authorities, Nayapatrika daily reported. About 2 acres, 16 perches of land bought for the construction of embassy building is being encroached as a golf course is being constructed in the adjoining land. Nepalese authorities are unaware of the encroachment.

A meeting of the 28 political parties in the Constituent Assembly (CA) Monday morning has agreed to include provision to give national party status to all political parties participating in the general convention. The parties agreed to scrap the present system to recognise only parties securing three percent votes in the general election as national parties in order to ensure the rights of minority and marginalised groups to open the parties. At the meeting, all parties but the Unified CPN (Maoist) agreed not to change the shape, colour and symbols of the national flag. Maoist vice chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha informed reporters after the meeting that all other parties except the UCPN (Maoist) had agreed to retain the shape and colour of the national flag. However, the parties had different opinions on interpreting the national flag, according to Shrestha.