Early trends in Nepal polls project ‘absolute hung’ Parliament

There are indications that none of the existing pre-poll alliances will cross over 50 per cent or 138-benchmark required to form the government in a House of 275.

With counting of votes underway and final results of Parliamentary elections trickling in, available trends suggest that the country is heading towards an “absolute hung” Parliament.

There are indications that none of the existing pre-poll alliances will cross over 50 per cent or 138-benchmark required to form the government in a House of 275. “It will be difficult to form a government, and even tougher to hold it together and keep it functioning,” said chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist and one of the aspirants for the top job.

Normally, any two of the three parties —UML, Nepali Congress and the Maoist Centre — together would have formed an alliance to form a government. But this time around, the projection does not seem to be heading in that direction as the UML and Nepali Congress forming a coalition looks unlikely. The Maoist Centre, which has alternatively aligned with these two poles, may not have the decisive size to add to form the majority.

Two other big parties — Rashtriya Swatantra Party and the pro-Monarchy Rashtriya Prajatantra Party — have not declared their stance formally, though the latter has said it would not join any government, but push its ideology-based demands — restoration of Nepal’s Hindu kingdom status as a precondition for supporting any government.

The RSP, a first timer in the Parliament, has indicated that they would formulate a clear stance once the Parliamentary party is formed. Both RSP and RPP have also indicated high-level probe into corruption may come in the way of these parties cooperating in the government formation.

While three aspirants for the Chief Executive’s post— Sher Bahadur Deuba , Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda—have won elections, whether they will throw their ( HAT)hate in the race this time is uncertain. There may be multiple candidates from within. The final results, around 50 so far, send across mixed signals.

Rabi Lamichhane, RSP chief defeated Umesh Shrestha , a Minister of State in charge of the Prime Minister’s office; Rajendra Lingden , Chairman of the RPP was elected from Jhapa-3 after defeating K P Sitauala of Congress Party. In fact, the battle in this constituency was being projected as a ‘mini-referendum’ on the Republic, given Lingden’s strident advocacy for restoring Hindu-Kingdom and Sitauala’s stance.