Kathmandu: Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala on Thursday said he is hopeful of forming a consensus government under his leadership by next week through negotiations with other political parties.
Koirala, recently elected leader of the Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party, said that negotiations are already underway with other parties on government formation.
Speaking on the sidelines of a function organised here by the party to felicitate newly elected members of the Constituent Assembly, he said: "We are trying our best to form a consensus government and most of the political parties, with whom I have talked, are in favour of the idea."
The Nepali Congress will wait till February 2, the deadline set by President Ram Baran Yadav for forming a consensus government.
"We will wait till February 2 to form the consensus government," Koirala said. "We are holding talks with other political parties, which I think are moving in a positive direction."
The President set the deadline according to the provisions of the interim Constitution.
The Nepali Congress, with 194 lawmakers, is the largest party in the new 601-member assembly that will draft a constitution aimed at ending years of political unrest.
It is in negotiations with 30 parties, including CPN-UML, the second largest party in the Constituent Assembly, and UCPN-Maoist, the third largest party.
The Nepali Congress needs support from either the CPN-UML, which has 175 lawmakers, or other fringe parties to form a majority government. Polls to the Constituent Assembly were held on November 19 last year.
Koirala said his party accords top priority to the timely drafting of the new Constitution.
"It is our priority to draft the Constitution on time and I am confident of coming up with a new Constitution within a year, as mandated by the people," he said.
Koirala is likely to be the next prime minister following his election as leader of the Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party last week.
