On August 18, a new government was formed in Nepal, based on an alliance between the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), which won the largest number of seats in the last elections, and the CPN (UML) and the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum.  Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) was elected as the Prime Minister with a substantial majority.

The formation of the new government in Nepal is of great significance, since this is the first government after Nepal abolished the monarchy and became a republic.  The formation of the government was delayed largely because some of the established political forces did not want to let go of the reins of power that they had been holding.  Prolonged governmental instability would have invited the danger of outside forces like India or the US interfering, or of domestic forces allied to the overthrown monarchy and other reactionary forces attempting to stage some kind of comeback. It is to the credit of the people of Nepal and the democratic political forces there that they did not allow this to happen and persevered in their efforts to form a government that could win a clear majority in the Assembly.

The formation of the government has now cleared the decks for the Constituent Assembly to get on with the main business for which it was called into being – that is, to draw up a new republican Constitution that will embody the aspirations of all sections of the Nepali people. Developments over the past many months have shown that the masses of people of Nepal have great expectations of the Constituent Assembly and have high hopes that they will finally secure the democratic rights, social justice and all-round economic prosperity that they have long been denied. The working class and people of India wish the people of Nepal full success in their endeavour to build a new Nepal!