"We will not join a consensus government formed under the leadership of other parties. If our party is not allowed to lead a consensus government, we will opt for a majority-based government," said Dahal. [break]
Dahal hinted that his party may back UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal, although he reiterated that a Maoist-led consensus government should be formed to take the peace process to its logical end.
"We may support the candidate who is close to our agenda of socio-political change," he said without pronouncing the name of Khanal. He also said his party is open for talks to form a government headed by a civil society member.
Replying to a query on who would be the party´s official candidate, Dahal said he would himself head such a government. "There is no dispute about this in the party."
He said his party is even ready to remain in the opposition. "But that would not help conclude the peace process and constitution-drafting. This means the largest party would be in the margin, and that is against the people´s mandate."
The Maoist chairman said the parties may face some problems in reaching consensus over the standard norms and modality for integration and rehabilitation as well as fixing the number of combatants to be integrated into state forces, but he asserted that the issues would be settled easily once the Maoists lead a consensus government.
Dahal claimed his party had agreed on a calendar to sincerely speed up the process of integration and rehabilitation during the Hattiban talks last year, and other parties had even become positive about a Maoist-led government. "But the ´remote control´ came in the way, again, and the whole plan failed," he claimed.
The former rebel leader said his party has been consistently making compromises since the signing of the 12-point agreement for the peaceful transformation of the country, but would no longer afford to do so.
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