With the executive head in place, we hope that government formation will now take place without delay. The most recent developments have been largely positive, with the Sunday deal between the NC and the CPN-UML resolving the dispute on over power-sharing, not least the status of President Ram Baran Yadav. After failing to form a consensus government, the NC will now lead a majority government, which would have been very difficult without the support of the UML, the second-largest party in the CA. The bilateral deal  includes pledges to draft a constitution within a year, take ownership of the progress made by the previous CA and elect a new president immediately after the constitution is promulgated. 

Yet the delay in government formation has already cast doubt on the parties’ claim of producing a constitution within a year. The reaffirmation of that commitment will to some extent allay the growing popular apprehension about the parties’ commitment to a timely constitution. Taking ownership of the progress made by the previous CA will at least mean that the parties are not looking to start their work from square one, though the right-of-the-centre RPPs, especially the monarchist RPP-N, seem set to mount a strong pushback.  But as long as the major parties remain firm in not turning the clock back, they have the numbers on their side to stand in favour of secularism, republicanism and federalism, though the tone and tenor of the new constitution is bound to be different from the one that could have been produced by the last CA. As importantly, the new government run by the political parties needs to demonstrate that it can be more efficient than the Khil Raj Regmi-led technocratic government.  

There are a number of challenges before Koirala. Striking a deal with the UML is all well and good but there are deep grumblings from within his own party. Senior party leader Sher Bahadur Deuba has demanded a ‘respectable share’ in the Cabinet. With 24 members at its disposal, the RPP-N is now the fourth-largest party in the CA and its voices can’t be muzzled anymore, as was evident yesterday in the House when its leader Kamal Thapa took exception  to the NC-UML agreement, which he said had bypassed the sovereign CA. 

Often termed politically rigid, Koirala demonstrated humility and a willingness to reach out to dissenting parties when the results started coming out after the November 19 elections. He must continue the gesture, including to those outside the CA. For the greater the CA’s legitimacy and broader its political base, the higher the chances of a timely constitution.