With the left alliance sweeping the elections, winning 116 of 165 first-past-the-post seats for the House of Representatives (HoR) and leading in proportional representation (PR) count for 110 seats, the key constituents—CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre)—are set to start talks for a new government formation and power-sharing among other issue from Thursday.

According to the Election Commission (EC), results of the proportional representation votes are expected by Friday evening.

Once parties submit their candidates for the HoR under the PR category, the EC will submit the list to the President before publishing it on Nepal Gazette. This process is likely to take about a week or so.

The left alliance constituents—UML and Maoist Centre—are planning to utilise the gap to discuss government formation at the centre, governments in provinces, power-sharing and other issues.

Going by the results of the HoR and Provincial Assembly (PA) elections, the left alliance is likely to form provincial governments in all provinces except Province 2.

According to left alliance leaders, UML Chairman KP Oli, who appears set to return to power, and Maoist Centre Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who has won from Chitwan-3, are scheduled to hold talks on Thursday or latest by Friday to set the premise for installing a new government at the centre.

However, some experts have said the process to form a new government has to wait until the National Assembly is elected. The HoR, or the Lower House, with 275 seats and the National Assembly, or the Upper House, with 59 seats complete the federal parliament at the centre, formation of which can only pave the way for formation of the new government, some say.

The UML, which has is set to become the single largest party, however, has argued that the Upper House election will not be an issue for starting the process of forming a new government at the centre.

According to UML leader Bishnu Rimal, after the 1991 parliamentary elections, the Upper House was formed only a month after Nepali Congress (NC)’s Girija Prasad Koirala took oath of office as the prime minister. The NC, on the other hand, has argued that Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba will pave the way for the formation of a new government only after the election of the Upper House. An ordinance for the election of the National Assembly is pending at the Office of the President. The ordinance must be endorsed to ensure laws for the National Assembly election.

However, left alliance leaders insisted that talks on new government formation will start from Thursday. According to Rimal, the left alliance is aiming a new government at the centre by the end of this month. As per Article 93 of the constitution, the President will summon a session of the federal parliament within 30 days of the declaration of final results of the House of Representatives.

According to the constitution, an Electoral College of 2,056 elected representatives (550 PA members and 1,056 chiefs and deputy chiefs of 752 local units) will elect 56 members (eight from each province) for the 59-strong National Assembly. Three members will be nominated by the President.