Nepal

News in Brief by PN staff

Nepali politics, after six years of 'peace process', seems to be well and truly stuck. The country is without a parliament as the supreme court ruled in May that the constituent assembly elected in 2008 (which also functioned as a parliament) could not extend its term any further. 

There is no agreement between the major parties on whether or how to hold new elections, and no agreement on the shape of the constitution.

There is enormous pressure for a new constitution to institute ethnic federalism, with states for each ethnic grouping. It seems possible that some non-ethnic political parties may splinter under these pressures.

The Maoists, who fought a decade-long civil war against the now-evicted royal regime, have split, but along political rather than ethnic lines.

The main party, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal – Maoist (UCPN-M), is in government, while the militant breakaway faction (CPN-M) has formed a national people's volunteer or 'Rastriya Janaswayamsewak' youth wing.

Critics accuse this of being a paramilitary or even military grouping, based on former guerrillas who have been excluded from integration into the Nepali security forces.

For its part, the CPN-M say they are going to expose the corruption of UCPN-M leaders who have got rich during their time in government.

Topics: Nepal