CPN-UML General Secretary Ishwor Pokhrel on Friday said the process of government formation and party unification with the CPN (Maoist Centre) would move ahead simultaneously.

The alliance between the two parties worked well in the recently completed federal parliamentary and province assembly elections as the left bloc garnered a two-thirds majority in the first-past-the-post election, with the UML winning 80 and the Maoist Centre claiming 36 seats. The two forces are expected to intensify the party unification process and get down to forming a new government.

“Since the alliance worked well in the elections, no problems will occur in the unification process and power-sharing,” he said at a function in the Capital on Friday. “We have started unification talks. We’ll reach a conclusion soon.”

Stating that the party unification coordination committee was doing its homework, Pokhrel claimed that UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli deserved to be both the prime minister and the party chairperson. “Oli should take charge of the new government and the [unified] party.”

“Even Maoist Centre chair Prachanda has backed Oli for the PM’s post. Oli’s role and the election results have made it clear,” he said, clarifying that it was his personal thought rather than any official decision. “In my opinion, the party chairperson, parliamentary party leader and prime minister should be the same person. Otherwise, it will create multiple centres in the party,” he argued.