KATHMANDU: The Nepali Communist Party (NCP), CPN-UML and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) have reached a new agreement to jointly operate the Bagmati Province government.
The three parties reached the understanding on Tuesday afternoon, agreeing to cooperate in the formation and operation of the provincial government.
The agreement identifies constitutional supremacy, democratic values, political stability, good governance and the development of a prosperous Bagmati Province as their shared objectives.
Under the agreement, the number of ministries in the province will not exceed the existing eight, based on the strength of the coalition partners.
The parties have also agreed to elect the Speaker of the vacant provincial assembly from the NCP.
A seven-member committee has been formed to prepare a minimum common programme for the government and make it public within seven days. The committee includes three members from the NCP, two from the UML and two from the RPP.
The NCP has nominated Ratna Dhakal, Urmila Lama and Laxman Lamsal, while UML has nominated Dr Dinesh Chandra Devkota and Keshav Prasad Pokhrel. RPP has nominated Rajendra Prajapati and Nuraj Bajracharya.
The agreement also calls for the formation of a government coordination mechanism initially under the leadership of the NCP. The mechanism will provide necessary advice and facilitate coordination on matters related to government operation.
The three parties have agreed to make the Council of Ministers inclusive, including adequate representation of women.
The agreement states that the order of precedence in the Cabinet after the chief minister will be given first to the NCP and then to the RPP representatives.
The agreement was signed by Bagmati Chief Minister Kiran Thapa Magar, NCP parliamentary party leader Shalikram Jamkattel, UML parliamentary party leader Jagannath Thapaliya and RPP parliamentary party leader Uddhav Thapa.
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