Nepal's 10 Left parties merge to form single party

Kathmandu: Ten left parties, including the CPN (Maoist Centre) and the CPN (Unified Socialist), on Wednesday merged to form the Nepali Communist Party, months ahead of the general elections scheduled for March 5.

The unification announcement was made at a mass gathering at Bhrikutimandap. With the merger, the Maoist Centre, which led the decade-long insurgency, has dropped the term "Maoist" from its official name.

Ahead of the formal unification ceremony, a grand procession was held. The alliance has been formed in the backdrop of the recent youth-led Gen Z protests against corruption, nepotism and political disorder in the country.

The unified party will be called the Nepali Communist Party, with a five-pointed star as its election symbol. CPN (Maoist Centre) chairman and former prime minister Pushpakamal Dahal 'Prachanda' will act as coordinator of the new party, while CPN (Unified Socialist) chief Madhav Kumar Nepal will serve as co-coordinator. The party will follow Marxism-Leninism as its guiding ideology and convene its national convention within six months.