Top leaders of three parties meet president to discuss election environment

Kathmandu: Prime Minister Sushila Karki, along with top leaders of three major parties, held discussions with President Ram Chandra Poudel at Sheetal Niwas. This marks the first direct engagement between Prime Minister Karki and the leaders of the Nepali Congress, UML, and NCP since the Gen-z movement.

President Poudel convened the meeting, which was attended by former Prime Ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba, KP Sharma Oli, and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. According to sources at Sheetal Niwas, the discussions primarily focused on creating an environment conducive to holding elections.

Previously, President Poudel had met with Prime Minister Karki and Chairman Dahal during the formation of the interim government, but there had been no meetings with Deuba and Oli. The government has faced criticism from the Nepali Congress and UML for failing to create an electoral environment, particularly regarding seat allocations to former Prime Minister Oli and Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak. UML Chairman Oli has emphasized the restoration of the House of Representatives, asserting that the interim government and prior dissolution of the House were unconstitutional.

Both the Nepali Congress and UML have filed separate writ petitions for the restoration of the House of Representatives. Amid the Congress’s preparation to submit a supplementary petition signed by a majority of MPs from the two parties, President Poudel and Prime Minister Karki engaged in discussions with Deuba, Oli, and Dahal to address the issue and facilitate an environment for upcoming elections.