Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
02KATHMANDU390
2002-02-20 11:25:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Kathmandu
Cable title:
NEPAL'S MAIN OPPOSITION PARTIES MERGE, BUT REMAIN
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS KATHMANDU 000390
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL'S MAIN OPPOSITION PARTIES MERGE, BUT REMAIN
IN THE MINORITY
Putting the U Back in UML
-------------------------
UNCLAS KATHMANDU 000390
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL'S MAIN OPPOSITION PARTIES MERGE, BUT REMAIN
IN THE MINORITY
Putting the U Back in UML
--------------
1. (U) Nepal's main opposition party, the Communist Party
of Nepal - United Marxist and Leninist (UML),merged
February 15 with a smaller former offshoot, the Communist
Party of Nepal - Marxist-Leninist (ML). (Note: The
combined parties will continue to use the UML name.
Although communist by name, these parties more closely
resemble European social-democratic parties. UML leaders
claim to be even more democratic that the ruling Nepali
Congress, which in the UML view remains feudal, nepotistic
and corrupt. End Note.)
The Minority's Minority No More
--------------
2. (SBU) In 1998, friction between leading figures in the
UML came to a head when UML parliamentarians opposed to
the Mahakali Treaty with India broke ranks and formed the
ML. Although the ML garnered six percent of the votes in
the 1999 general election - making it the third largest
party in terms of the popular vote - it was unable to win
any seats in Parliament. Efforts at reunification began a
year later, when the ML leadership saw that, as a former
minority in a minority party, they had made no inroads
with a platform only slightly to the left of the well-
established UML. The head of the UML's foreign department
expressed hopes that the reunified UML could win a
majority in the next national elections, slated for 2004.
Comment
--------------
3. (SBU) The history of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN)
has, since its founding in 1949, been a story of schisms,
factions, and (occasional) reunifications. Two of the
main Maoist leaders, Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai, both
founded their own schismatic CPN franchises in 1994, and
two years later merged them into the Maoist movement
currently menacing the nation. (Note: According to UML
leader Madhav Nepal, since the Maoists' insurgency began
at least 45 CPN-UML cadres have died at the hands of the
Maoists.) While the UML reunification was formalized
February 15, many assignments in the new party leadership
have yet to be made. The centripetal trend behind the UML-
ML merger stems in part from increasing frustration over
Nepal's security and economic problems, but also because
many ambitious CPN leaders dislike being left out in the
cold.
MALINOWSKI
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL'S MAIN OPPOSITION PARTIES MERGE, BUT REMAIN
IN THE MINORITY
Putting the U Back in UML
--------------
1. (U) Nepal's main opposition party, the Communist Party
of Nepal - United Marxist and Leninist (UML),merged
February 15 with a smaller former offshoot, the Communist
Party of Nepal - Marxist-Leninist (ML). (Note: The
combined parties will continue to use the UML name.
Although communist by name, these parties more closely
resemble European social-democratic parties. UML leaders
claim to be even more democratic that the ruling Nepali
Congress, which in the UML view remains feudal, nepotistic
and corrupt. End Note.)
The Minority's Minority No More
--------------
2. (SBU) In 1998, friction between leading figures in the
UML came to a head when UML parliamentarians opposed to
the Mahakali Treaty with India broke ranks and formed the
ML. Although the ML garnered six percent of the votes in
the 1999 general election - making it the third largest
party in terms of the popular vote - it was unable to win
any seats in Parliament. Efforts at reunification began a
year later, when the ML leadership saw that, as a former
minority in a minority party, they had made no inroads
with a platform only slightly to the left of the well-
established UML. The head of the UML's foreign department
expressed hopes that the reunified UML could win a
majority in the next national elections, slated for 2004.
Comment
--------------
3. (SBU) The history of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN)
has, since its founding in 1949, been a story of schisms,
factions, and (occasional) reunifications. Two of the
main Maoist leaders, Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai, both
founded their own schismatic CPN franchises in 1994, and
two years later merged them into the Maoist movement
currently menacing the nation. (Note: According to UML
leader Madhav Nepal, since the Maoists' insurgency began
at least 45 CPN-UML cadres have died at the hands of the
Maoists.) While the UML reunification was formalized
February 15, many assignments in the new party leadership
have yet to be made. The centripetal trend behind the UML-
ML merger stems in part from increasing frustration over
Nepal's security and economic problems, but also because
many ambitious CPN leaders dislike being left out in the
cold.
MALINOWSKI