By prioritising party allegiance over constitutional requirements and the health of Nepal’s fledgling democracy, outgoing President Bidhya Devi Bhandari inflicted significant harm to the office of the President. For years, Nepal has struggled with political unrest, and in recent weeks, its lawmakers have reached new lows.
A coalition led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-MC) and supported by the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) only lasted two months before the CPN-UML withdrew from it. In any case, the disagreement between Dahal and the UML over the presidential candidate occurred.
Source: National Herald
Dahal supported Paudel for the presidency, which the UML rejected because he is a member of the Nepali Congress. Dahal joined forces with the NC, with whom he had allied for the general election, after the UML withdrew from the ruling coalition, only to reject it during the formation of the cabinet in late December and stick with the once-enemy, now-friend UML.
Parties and politicians in Nepal are more motivated by power than by a programmatic knowledge. This is what’s causing the nation’s political unrest. Although the people of Nepal are accustomed to their leaders’ revolving door politics, Dahal’s recent partner changes are unusual. It’s concerning that it occurs as the nation faces severe economic crisis.
India, the US, and China, Nepal’s development partners, are eager to see the projects they are sponsoring come to fruition. Yet because Dahal is more focused on politics than on leading the nation, growth has stalled.
Source: First Post
The first foreign trip of a Nepali prime minister has nearly invariably taken place in India. Dahal has not yet been to New Delhi, though. The UML’s departure from the government coalition has probably brought India some relief. After all, India-Nepal relations badly deteriorated during the tenure of UML leader K P Sharma Oli as prime minister.
New Delhi would have also felt relieved that the new government includes the NC because the NC has typically been sensitive of Indian security issues. Yet, Nepal’s political unrest persists, giving China room to influence in its affairs. In order to ensure stability in the neighbouring Himalayan country, India must engage Dahal and the incoming administration right away.
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