August 07, 2008	Thursday	Sha’aban 4, 1429

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s president has extended a deadline for ex-rebel Maoists to form the first government of the new republic in a bid to end weeks of political deadlock, an official said on Wednesday.

Bitter wrangling has left the impoverished Himalayan nation in political limbo with no formal government since it abolished its 240-year-old monarchy and became a federal democratic republic in May.

President Ram Baran Yadav “has given the Maoists three days additional time to form a consensus government,” Lokhari Pandey, joint secretary of the president’s office, said.

Yadav had asked the Maoists, who won the most seats in recent elections, to form a national consensus government by Tuesday, but the party failed to bridge its differences with rivals.

“The deadline was extended at the request of Maoist chairman Prachanda after reaching an understanding with the other political parties,” Yadav said.

The former rebels were working hard to win backing from the other parties to establish a national government, Maoist spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara said.

“The talks are heading towards a positive direction and being held in a conducive environment for reaching consensus,” Mahara said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to reach a common understanding in the next few days.” A spokesman for the second-largest party, the Nepali Congress, echoed Mahara’s optimism, saying chances of “a national unity government have increased.” ”The meeting of the four parties along with Maoists has moved the process in a positive direction,” said spokesman Arjun Narsingh Khatri Chettri.

The Maoists emerged as the single largest party in a newly elected, 601-seat assembly whose task is to produce the nation’s new constitution within two years.

But the party is still short of a simple majority to form the government on their own, which means they need to find an ally.

Earlier this week, the Maoists presented a policy programme in a bid to build a consensus to lead the next government. It focused on land reform, youth unemployment, and boosting fuel and food supplies.

The Maoists, who waged a deadly revolt for 10 years, want to overturn what they call a “feudal,” caste-ridden system.

The ultra-leftists ended their bloody uprising in 2006.—AFP