There seems to be no end to the state of flux in Nepal. Jhalanath Khanal’s brief tenure as Prime Minister is over. But his resignation has been far from timely. The constituent assembly’s term comes to an end at the end of this month. The new Constitution is yet to be drafted. The deadline for that has been extended a number of times. Khanal resigned because he could not make any progress with the peace process. About twenty thousand former Maoist guerrillas are still at a loose end. Khanal’s Communist Party of Nepal (UML) could not forge a unity with the rivals. The Maoists pose the most serious hurdle. So do the Nepali Congress and a faction of his own party. Khanal knew that his continuance would not make any difference and so he did not hesitate to bow out.
What is clear is that politics in Nepal will not stabilise unless the three major parties work out a consensus. No party in the Nepal parliament can rule on its own. Both the Nepali Congress and the Maoists will now make a bid for the Prime Ministership. The Maoist split continues despite Chairman Prachanda’s efforts. It is not possible to induct all former guerrillas in the Nepal Army to meet Maoist demands.. The Nepali Congress is still skeptical about Maoist democratic intentions. They are still unpredictable. The people of Nepal have not brought about the end of autocratic monarchy to install a Maoist dictatorship. Stability can come to Nepal only through the democratic process.