President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Thursday called on the political parties represented in the Legislature-Parliament to initiate the process to form a majority government, the Office of the President said.

The president issued the call as per Article 298 (3) of the constitution after the seven-day deadline given to form a consensus government ended today without any result.

According to Article 298 (3) of the constitution, the prime minister shall be elected by a majority of all the then members of the Legislature-Parliament, if parties fail to pick a consensus candidate for the post of prime minister in seven days.

Last week President Bhandari had issued a call to the parties to form a consensus government within a week to choose a new prime minister on the basis of political understanding as per Article 298 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal.

President Bhandari initiated the constitutional process to form the new government after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal resigned on Wednesday to honour a deal reached in July-August last year with Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba.