New Delhi, Sep 11: One would have expected that there would be an interim government in place in Nepal at the earliest. The nation descended into chaos following a massive uprising which led to the ouster of the Prime Minister and several other ministers who have been accused of large scale corruption.
Former chief justice Sushila Karki, Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah, former CEO of Nepal Electricity Authority Kulman Ghising and Mayor of Dharan Harka Sampang were among those being considered by the protesting Gen Z group to lead the government, sources said.
Swearing in an interim Prime Minister faces a constitutional hurdle as it allows only for a sitting member of Parliament to become one.
While the experts are trying find ways to abide by the Constitution and have an interim government in place, fears have set in about the country being run by an army backed caretaker regime. The army is completely on the side of Gen Z. It has made it clear that the GenZ which carried out the protests will have a say in any future dispensation.
While they were united during the protest some divisions have been found when it comes to finding a leader who would lead the negotiations. While one section is in favour of the former Chief Justice, the others are backing the Kathmandu Mayor.
This has led to a delay in the negotiations, which has raised fears about a possible army-backed caretaker government. What Nepal cannot afford at this moment is a prolonged political vacuum.
If an interim government is formed, several other parties such as the Communist UML and the Nepali Congress would want some space in the same. The problem, however, is that the Gen Z would reject this, which would again prolong the negotiations.
Even those who were backing the return of the monarchy are in the mix today. However, a return of the monarchy is highly unlikely, Nepal watchers would say as this would require amendments to the Constitution.
While the army backs the Gen Z, it has, however, made it clear that it is not interested in a military takeover.
It wants a quick resolution so that law and order can be restored. The Nepal Army, currently, does have enough power to force the political parties to reach a deal and find a suitable candidate to be the interim chief. (IANS)
