NEPAL:The decision yesterday of the Communist Party Nepal-Maoist to pull out of the country's interim government has injected uncertainty into its fragile peace process, jeopardising elections later this year.
The Maoist withdrawal is a major setback to the peace deal signed last November in which the guerrilla movement ended its decade-old insurgency and agreed to take part in elections for a special assembly to decide the fate of the monarchy.
The former rebels, however, threatened to pull out of the eight-party interim government in recent days, unless it agreed to 22 demands, including the abolition of the monarchy before the November elections.
A meeting of the four main interim government parties was convened in a last-ditch effort to stop the Maoists from quitting.
But the four ministers handed in their resignations following prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala's rejection of two key Maoist demands: the declaration of a republic before the polls and a proportional representation-based electoral system.
Following the meeting the ministers left behind their state cars before making their way to a city-centre open-air gathering of supporters.
The Maoist second in command, Dr Baburam Bhattarai, told the mass meeting a nationwide protest movement would continue until their demands are met.
"Our efforts to declare a republic from the parliament has failed. Now we will declare a republic from the streets. Therefore, we have decided to come in the midst of the people," Dr Bhattarai said, according to local reports of the meeting.
There was no immediate comment from the government which now faces an uphill struggle to keep to an election timetable in the face of likely Maoist disruptions. Significantly, however, there is no sign of the former rebels breaking their ceasefire.
Over 30,000 Maoist fighters are located in UN-monitored camps around the country. The rebels have agreed to store their arms under UN supervision, but under last year's peace accord they kept the keys to the weapons stores. Moreover, although large numbers of rebels left the camps to stage protests last week, calling for better camp conditions and pay, there has been no abandonment of the camps following the Maoist withdrawal from government.
Street protests will be peaceful while the People's Liberation Army will remain in cantonments, Dr Bhattarai is reported to have told the mass meeting. Although government unity is under pressure, the 12-point (peace) agreement had not ended yet, Dr Bhattarai told supporters.
Over the past year, the government has stripped the monarch of almost all political power, including authority over the army. However, the Maoists insist on its immediate abolition, claiming that King Gyanendra and his supporters were trying to sabotage the elections.
The insurgency began in 1996, resulting in about 14,000 deaths, and hitting the economy of Nepal hard.The demise of the monarchy and opening of democratic space in recent months has seen the emergence of ethnic conflicts and tension among traditionally marginalised groups in Nepal.
Following recent bomb blasts that killed three people on the streets of the capital, Kathmandu, the pre-election atmosphere is likely to remain tense.