Govt., terai parties agree to hold elections

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 28 Feb: Under intense pressure from the Indian government, government and a three-party terai front agreed to hold the twice postponed constituent assembly elections as announced on 10 April against heavy odds.
Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sent a special emissary former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digbijaya Singh to push elections.
After Singh returned home Friday following intense pressure on the two sides, New Delhi former ambassador to Nepal KV Rajan and a retired professor at Jawarlal Nehru University and a front for the government of India SD Muni to continue the relentless pressure which finally paid.
The front, on the 16th day of a crippling strike and an undeclared Indian blockade by India on land-locked Nepal, the Nepalese government and a three-party terai front signed an eight-point agreement ending the strike pushing self-determination one Madesh, one pradesh.
The front immediately have up a demand for self-determination in the terai adjoining India; New Delhi has opposed such a demand in majority-dominated Jammu and Kashmir which will secede from India is such a vote is ever held.
Before and within hours, India and USA welcome the breakthrough that a desperate Koirala was hop in for to save his reputation after two failures to keep a promise.
But Koirala paid a price by giving in to the first pressures for self-determination.
How long can Koirala stop the demand?
Prime Minister Koirala and front leaders Mahanta Thakur, Rajendra Mohoto and Upendra Yadav signed the eight-point agreement.
Government as agreed to go for a republic, federal .provincial structure to be determined by CA.
The republic is being put to a vote to be decided by the people; government has already decided for them making elections a farce.
On another key demand for immediate group recruitment
Of people from the terai in Nepal Army, the agreement stipulates government will prioritize the recruitment of Madeshis, Dalits and indigenous people in the state army.
The cabinet Thursday decided in an emergency meeting to ask the Election Commission to open for two days nominations for candidates to contest the 110 April elections even after nominations were closed.
The Commission Thursday filed the final list of candidates who had filed nominations for 240 seats in direct elections for the assembly.

U.S. Welcomes Agreement between UDMF and GON
Full text of the US embassy statement:
The United States Embassy welcomes the decision by the three United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) parties to sign a political agreement today with the Government of Nepal. We expect this agreement will lead the UDMF parties to end their Terai bandh (general strike) with immediate effect and will pave the way for the three parties to participate fully in the upcoming Constituent Assembly election on April 10. We expect further that both sides will fulfill the terms of the agreement. A free and fair election is the desire, we believe, of all Nepalis – in the mountains, the hills and the plains – and the United States is committed to doing its part to assist the people of Nepal in making this historic opportunity a reality.
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