Oli and Dahal’s parties prepare electoral alliance in Nepal — Kathmandu Post
In Nepal, CPN-UML chair KP Oli and Communist Party of Nepal (NCP) coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal have begun preparing to expand cooperation for next year’s local and provincial elections. The parties already cooperate in the provincial governments of five provinces and have informally tasked local branches with developing a model for an electoral alliance, Kathmandu Post reports.
Cooperation at the local level
According to the publication, the leaders of the two parties reached a preliminary understanding on a possible alliance after their unsuccessful performance in the House of Representatives elections on March 5. According to party leaders, the aim of the cooperation is to prevent a further decline in support for left-wing forces and strengthen their political influence.
CPN-UML secretary Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal said that cooperation in provincial governments has already created a basis for coordination in the upcoming elections. According to him, this time the parties seek to develop an agreement through district and local committees rather than only between central leaderships.
The parties are also preparing joint programs on national sovereignty, protecting the constitution, and the rising cost of living. NCP leader Barshaman Pun said that the current cooperation could extend to parliamentary work, street protests, and election campaigns.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
No immediate merger
Dahal stressed that electoral cooperation does not mean an immediate merger of the NCP and CPN-UML. He said he was ready to work with political forces that support the protection of democratic rights and national interests, but noted that organizational unification is not currently on the agenda.
The search for an alliance comes amid weakening positions of Nepal’s communist parties. In the 2017 elections, CPN-UML and the then Maoist Centre together won 174 seats and about 47% of the votes under the proportional system. In the latest elections, CPN-UML won 25 seats in the House of Representatives and the NCP won 17; their combined share of proportional votes was 20.93%.
In 2017, CPN-UML and the Maoist Centre formed an electoral alliance and formally merged in 2018. However, a dispute over influence between Oli and Dahal intensified, and their party unity collapsed in 2021.
