Ex-communist rebel leader pledges stable government in Nepal

By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA
Associated Press

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Nepal’s governing alliance is pledging to create a stable government that will be able to complete a full five-year term in the Himalayan nation that has had 13 different governments in the past 16 years. The alliance of four political parties is contesting Nov. 20 parliamentary elections together in hopes of retaining power. Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the leader of a Maoist party that is a key member of the alliance, said in an interview that they are committed to keeping their partnership intact. Frequent changes in government and squabbles among parties have been blamed for delays in writing the constitution and slow economic development. No government since the abolition of the centuries-old monarchy in 2008 has completed a full term.