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CPN-UML ministers to tender their resignation by evening Tuesday

Stunned by an unexpected defeat in Thursday's Constituent Assembly elections, CPN-UML, a major communist party in the coalition, is now all set to withdraw from the interim government within the next 24 hours.

The Standing Committee meeting of the party held on Sunday had decided to pull out of the government "respecting the people's mandate" expressed through the elections.

The meeting had also directed all UML ministers representing the party in the current Koirala-led government to tender their joint resignation.

However, few UML ministers haven't still returned to the capital after having gone to their constituencies in the districts for the polls.

Amrit Kumar Bohara, the newly designated acting General Secretary of the party, said that all UML ministers have been already summoned to the capital city to tender their joint resignation and that they would do so by evening, Tuesday or office time tomorrow.

Foreign Minister Sahan Pradhan, Minister for Education Pradip Nepal, Minister for Agriculture Chhabi Lal Biswokarma, Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Prithvi Subba Gurung, Minister for General Administration Ram Chandra Yadav represented the UML party in the government. Save for Minister Gurung, all others have suffered defeat in the Thursday's election.

However, saying that the country still needs a "government of consensus," few leftist leaders and intellectuals have advised the party against pulling out of the government. nepalnews.com ag Apr 15 08