The spectre of an inconclusive prime ministerial poll or even a deferred poll loomed large after the former Maoist guerrillas, the largest party in parliament, announced they had withdrawn the uneasy support they had pledged to the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) only hours earlier.

Hopes of a communist-Maoist alliance had risen when minutes before the election was to have started, UML contestant Jhalanath Khanal had handed over a ‘trust document’ to Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, pledging his party’s commitment to the peace process and urging the former guerrillas to support him.

Taking its call on the offer, the Maoist leadership has agreed to support Khanal if he can garner the support of additional MPs to show two-thirds majority in parliament.

However, only a couple of hours later, Maoist deputy chief Baburam Bhattarai said his party had decided not to support Khanal but to field party chief Prachanda.

To add to the chaos, four ethnic parties from the Terai, whose support would have been decisive, announced in a surprise move that they would not support any of the contestants.

The Terai declaration means 82 MPs will not take part in the election that needs a candidate to win at least 300 votes.

To compound the complications, the UML has said it would withdraw Khanal’s nomination if he fails to get the support of at least 400 MPs in the 601-seat house.

With Khanal failing to get the required support, UML MPs have been issued a whip, asking them not to vote for the two remaining candidates.

Though the prime ministerial contest will now become a duel between Prachanda and the Nepali Congress, the second largest party, with nearly 200 MPs not taking part, the outcome is an inconclusive poll.

Now the house chairman may put off the poll and fix a fresh date. If he decides to go ahead, it is certain that a second round of polls has to be held.

A second round would help the parties buy more time for fresh negotiations. But given their appalling track record, an agreement even at a later stage remains questionable.

The poll fiasco underscores the unreliable nature of communist politics in Nepal.

The UML, which had three stints in power, has a reputation for deserting its allies. In the past it deserted its Maoist partner, causing the Prachanda government to collapse. This time, it abandoned its coalition partner NC only to be betrayed by the Maoists in turn.

Maoist chief Prachanda, on the other hand, acquires a dog in the manger image. He is being perceived as ready to support a rival party candidate rather than relinquish his own control over the party, which is already showing signs of growing dissent.

Since they united against King Gyanendra’s army-backed government in 2006 and caused it to collapse, Nepal’s parties failed to show further statesmanship and decisiveness.

Nepali politics since the fall of the royal regime has been characterised by infighting and dithering.  It made the parties fail to promulgate a new constitution in time and rehabilitate the guerrilla army of the Maoists, which remains a worrying parallel army four years after the rebels signed a peace accord. http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=147785

2 .Nidhi pins hopes on Paudel victory in runoff:  The Himalayan Times on line
KATHMANDU: General secretary of Nepali Congress Bimalendra Nidhi claimed on Thursday that Ram Chandra Paudel his party candidate for the post of the Prime Minister would win the runoff election.

Speaking at an interaction programme organised by the Democratic Engineers Association in the capital, Nidhi expressed hope that the CPN-UML would take an institutional decision and help the NC for the PM’s runoff. He reasoned that the Madhesi parties would not support the UCPN-Maoist due to its authoritarian nature and instead support the NC. However, he said if there is a no-vote condition, the election procedure should be cancelled and new election should be held.

In yesterday’s election, prime ministerial candidates UCPN-Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and NC vice president Ram Chandra Poudel could not garner adequate votes. However, CPN-UML chairman Jhalanath Khanal had withdrawn his candidacy in the eleventh hour before the election.

Madhes based parties, UML and some fringe parties boycotted the election for the PM saying that a majority government could not create the consensus for the peace and new constitution building processes.

The runoff poll which would be held with Dahal and Paudel is scheduled for Friday.http://thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Nidhi+pins+hopes+on+Paudel+victory+in+runoff&NewsID=250561

3. NC central leaders discuss PM runoff:  The Himalayan Times on line, July 22
by KESHAV P. KOIRALA
The NC hopes to turn the neutral votes–including that of the UML and the fringe as well as Madhesi parties– could be turned in his favour in the runoff.
KATHMANDU: The central leaders of the Nepali Congress held a meeting at the party’s central office in Sanepa in Lalitpur Thursday morning to sketch out the party’s strategy for the prime ministerial runoff scheduled for Friday.
NC acting president Sushil Koirala, vice president Ram Chandra Paudel who is also the prime ministerial candidate, and senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba were among the top leaders taking part in the meeting.
The meeting was held after a programme organised at the office premises to mark the 28th BP Smriti Diwas–the death annivesary of BP Koirala, who was one of the founding leaders of the party and the country’s first democratically elected prime minister.
The Nepali Congress leaders offered floral tribute to Koirala who died of throat cancer in Kathmandu in 1982.
Meanwhile, NC acting president Sushil Koirala expressed his hope that the confusion regarding the new government would be resolved by holding discussion with the Maoists.
The second largest party in the Constituent Assembly that also functions as the country’s Legislature-Parliament, the NC is set to hold meetings with other parties later today to ask them for the support.
In the election held yesterday in the Legislature-Parliament session of Constituent Assembly, Paudel could garner 124 votes only. 235 lawmakers cast votes against him and 228 stayed neutral when his name was put to vote.
On the other hand, UCPN-Maoist candidate Pushpa Kamal Dahal bagged 242 votes in his favour, while 236 lawmakers stayed neutral and 114 cast their votes against him.
The name of third candidate CPN-UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal was withdrawn after both the Maoist and the NC candidates failed to gain a simple majority. Earlier, UML had said that it would not opt for the government leadership if the national consensus could not be forged for its candidate.
The NC hopes to turn the neutral votes–including that of the UML and the fringe as well as Madhesi parties– could be turned in his favour in the runoff.
Now, with Khanal’s name withdrawn from the race, Dahal and Paudel will be vying in the runoff.
Saying the national consensus is a must for the new government formation, the UML has declared that it will eschew the voting for the ‘election of a majority prime minister’.http://thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=NC+central+leaders+discuss+PM+runoff+&NewsID=250538

4 . Madhesi, fringe parties stay neutral: The Himalayan Times
KATHMANDU: Four Madhes-based parties, who have resurrected their United Democratic Madhesi Front, and most of the fringe parties today chose to stay away from Prime Minister’s election, saying there was no possibility of forming a national unity government due to three major parties’ adamant stance.
A joint meeting of Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Democratic, Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum, Tarai Madhesi Democratic Party and Sadbhavana Party decided not to favour any of the three candidates – Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Ramchandra Paudel and Jhala Nath Khanal.
They said the candidates of the Unified CPN-Maoist, the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML had failed to express firm commitment to implementing the eight-point agreement reached with the then government on February 28, 2008.
Hridayesh Tripathi, a TMDP leader, said before voting: “All three are opposed to Madhes and Madhesi issues.”
The four Madhes-based parties have 82 votes that could have proved decisive had they favoured any one of the three candidates.
Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum chairman Upendra Yadav said all three candidate lacked a clear vision on executing the February 2008 deal.
He stressed the need to form a national unity government.
Thirty lawmakers of eight fringe parties — Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal (4), Nepal Workers’ and Peasants’ Party (5), Nepal Dalit Janajati Party (1), Nepal Parivar Dal (1), Rastriya Janamorcha Nepal (4), Socialist Democratic People’s Party Nepal (1), CPN-ML (9) and CPN-United (5) — chose to refrain from supporting any of the PM’s candidates, as they had lost hope of a unity government.
Earlier in the day, Khanal had held talks with the Madhes-based parties seeking their support in vain. The Madhes-based parties told him that he had no plan to address their concerns.
This morning, in an official letter sent to Khanal, Maoist Chairman Prachanda had stated that his 237 lawmakers would throw their weight behind him if he managed to garner a two-thirds majority vote as required by the CPN-UML’s central committee meeting. He was hoping that Khanal would muster the support of the Madhesis and other fringe parties.   http://thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Madhesi%2C+fringe+parties+stay+neutral&NewsID=250536&a=3

5. UML vote going nowhere: PM Nepal
KATHMANDU, JUL 21 -Caretaker Prime Minister and CPN-UML lawmaker Madhav Kumar Nepal said on Wednesday that his party would not support any other parties without further decision.
“The UML Central Committee decision is intact until further decision is made,” said PM Nepal talking to reporters after the prime ministerial election at CA hall in Nayabaneshwor today.
Earlier, the UML Central Committee had decided to field their candidate only if the party garners a one-thirds majority or stay out.
The prime minister stated that there is no alternative for the political parties to forge consensus.
As a majority government cannot give an outlet to the country by concluding the peace process and statute drafting, it is very important that the political parties come to terms of consensus, PM Nepal said.
In today’s session, Nepal, who was the nominator for the UML prime ministerial candidate, withdrew the candidacy in the election living up with the party’s decision. http://www.ekantipur.com/2010/07/21/top-story/uml-vote-going-nowhere-pm-nepal/318926/

6. MoFA green signal to Oberthur: The Kathmandu Post, July 22
KATHMANDU, JUL 22 – Accepting the offer by Oberthur Technology to print and supply of Machine Readable Passport (MRP) at a cost of US$3.59, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( MoFA) on Wednesday dispatched a letter to the company’s Paris-based headquarter, seeking its commitment to supply the MRP to Nepal. Oberthur, which has bagged the multimillion-dollar contract, was also asked to submit a 2.5 percent performance bond prior to sealing a deal with MoFA.

“Oberthur has been given 15 days’ time to recognise Nepal’s acceptance offer to print and supply the MRP booklet. We have also asked the firm to deposit 2.5 percent performance bond prior to clinching the MRP deal with us,” a senior MoFA official said.

Earlier also no testimonial or proof was found against Oberthur during a cursory five-day probe. Meanwhile, MoFA has submitted more documents to the Parliament Accounts Committee that support its decision to go with Oberthur on the MRP http://www.ekantipur.com/2010/07/22/top-story/mofa-green-signal-to-oberthur/318939/