Good news for Nepal!

In the nick of time – on the very night Nepal’s interim constitution was set to expire – the country’s parties voted in favour of extending the term of the Constituent Assembly.  After weeks of threats, accusations, covert meetings, and non-cooperation, the ruling NC-CPM UML coalition and the Maoists gave the two-thirds majority needed to prevent Nepal from plunging into some god-awful political vacuum of daggers and dragons and danger and anarchy… and well, who knows…

I’m relieved.  The (semi) resolution came without any of the blood and gore that loomed in the Maoists threats for non-agreement.

The PM may still resign as he forms a national consensus government in the next few days, but it will likely be a more civil power exchange than had he given into the earlier, often violent coercion by the UCPN Maoists.  Maybe the politicians aren’t as mad as I worried they might be.

I’m too tired to make much sense of this right now.  For the nitty-gritty: http://www.ekantipur.com/2010/05/29/top-story/house-passes-statute-amendement-opens-door-for-ca-extension/315265/