Communist rift plunges coalition into crisis

Splits within Nepal's communist-dominated coalition plunged the Himalayan nation into crisis yesterday as a Marxist-Leninist party said it would withdraw support after the Maoist prime minister backed an opposition candidate for the presidency.

Nestled between China and India, Nepal has had 11 governments since it abolished its 239-year monarchy in 2008 and became a republic. The current prime minister, a former Maoist guerrilla leader, Pushpa Kamal Dahal has held the post three times.

Elected in December, the prime minister, who still goes by his nom de guerre Prachanda, formed a seven-party coalition comprised of his own Maoist Centre party, the Communist Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML) party and five other smaller groups.

Last week, Prachanda infuriated the UML by pledging support for the opposition Nepali Congress party's presidential candidate, Ram Chandra Paudel.

Prachanda had earlier agreed to support a UML candidate for the presidency, according to politicians in the coalition.

Members of both houses of parliament and members of seven provincial assemblies will cast their votes on March 9 to elect the president.

Bishnu Paudel, deputy prime minister in charge of finance, and a senior UML leader, said he and all eight ministers of his party will resign as Prachanda failed to "honour the consensus" that was reached while forming the government.