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Opinion | Oli’s ouster will open the door for generational transfer of power
Among the three mainstream political parties, the CPN-UML has been the most lagging in internalising the spirit of the Gen Z movement. The party’s chair, KP Sharma Oli, who was the prime minister when the protest broke out on September 8, still undermines the movement, often floating conspiracy theories about why Gen Z-ers took to the streets that day.
A popular demand of the agitating youths was a change in the leadership of major parties, at the very least. Albeit late, some UML leaders have started voicing dissent against the KP Oli leadership. Now, a group of officebearers have rallied behind the party’s senior vice-chair, Ishwar Pokhrel, making him the prime contender to replace Oli as UML head in the upcoming general convention. One member of the Pokhrel camp, UML Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai, sat down with The Post's Biken K Dawadi to discuss the party’s upcoming general convention, the need for generational power transfer in the UML, and the Gen Z movement. Excerpts.
Leadership Tussles Plague Nepal’s Major Parties Ahead of March Elections
Kathmandu: Nepal’s two major parties – the Nepali Congress (NC) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), or CPN-UML – are locked in fierce intra-party leadership tussles ahead of the March 5 national elections.
The CPN-UML, led by K.P. Sharma Oli, will be holding its general convention in Kathmandu from December 13 to 15 to elect new leadership, while the NC is scheduled to hold its convention in mid-January.
Even before the GenZ movement, Oli had amended the party statute to pave the way for a third consecutive term as chair, ignoring objections from senior leaders. His intolerance for dissent has been evident since he seized party power in 2015. He scrapped the membership of former president Bidya Devi Bhandari after she challenged his leadership, and sidelined former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, who led the party for 15 years, forcing him to defect in 2020. Similarly, senior leader Bhim Rawal was pushed out after contesting the 2021 leadership election against Oli. As a result, the party’s internal democratic culture has severely eroded.
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Ishwar Pokhrel to present ‘counter’ political document at UML’s 11th General Convention
KATHMANDU, Dec 8: CPN-UML Senior Vice-Chair Ishwar Pokhrel, who has announced his candidacy for party chair, is set to present a separate political document at the party’s 11th General Convention.
This move comes at a time when UML Chair KP Sharma Oli has indicated that only his proposal will be tabled at the convention. Pokhrel and leaders from his camp are scheduled to visit Oli’s residence in Gundu in Bhaktapur at 2 PM today to request permission to present their proposals for discussion.
Pokhrel is preparing to table an alternative document even as Oli has publicly stated that he will speak at the convention and that no further debate will be entertained. “We will submit our political proposal and distribute it to the delegates. We will formally request the chair for discussion and hand over a written letter,” a leader close to Pokhrel said.
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