The meeting of the dissolved standing committee held at Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal´s residence in Lazimpat also decided that the party would be flexible during the talks. [break]
The party has taken this decision at a time when the Madhes based political parties have taken strong exception to Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai´s plan to expand his cabinet.
The Tuesday´s meeting has entrusted Dahal, Vice-chairmen Baburam Bhattarai and Narayankaji Shrestha and Secretary Post Bahadur Bogati with holding talks with the opposition parties.
"The party has given full authority to four office bearers to hold talks with the opposition parties. A meeting of the office bearers would decide how flexible they would be during their talks with the opposition parties," Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara told Republica.
The meeting also decided not to accept the new prime minister picked from outside the political parties.
“A conspiracy is being hatched to pick the prime minister from outside the political parties. This would not be acceptable in a multi party system," Maoist leader Giriraj Mani Pokharel told Republica, adding that the president does not have the authority to pick a prime minister from outside the political parties. He also claimed that reactionary forces have been trying to reinstate the 1990 constitution. Pokharel said the party would take a decision as per necessity.
UCPN (Maoist) has proposed Baburam Bhatarai as their first choice for the new prime ministerial candidate. Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala and CPN- Maoist General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa are also in the prime ministerial race.
Earlier, UCPN (Maoist) had set several conditions to allow Nepali Congress (NC) President Sushil Koirala to run for the prime minister´s post. It had sought agreements on the content of the new constitution prior to accepting Koirala for the PM´s post. Besides, the party had sought guarantee of federalism, secularism and republic state in the new constitution.
In addition, the e party had also sought appointments to the vacant posts in the constitutional bodies. Several top positions in the Public Service Commission, the Supreme Court and the Commission for the Investigation of the Abuse of Authority remain vacant currently.
Similarly, the party had sought a fixed date for holding fresh Constituent Assembly election. The government has already announced to hold fresh CA election by mid-May.
The Nepali Congress has decided not to compromise constitutional issues for the prime ministerial post.
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