Eight communist parties, including the CPN (Maoist Center), the CPN Unified Socialist (CPN-S), have decided to unify the parties with the outgoing Maoist chairman (current coordinator) Pushpa Kamal Dahal as the coordinator and CPN-S chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal as the co-coordinator.

Despite the differences in opinion between the Maoists and the CPN-S against party unification, the 18-point unity agreement was signed on Sunday evening with the support of Dahal, Nepal and other leaders. 

CPN-S senior leader and coordinator of the negotiation team Beduram Bhusal informed that it was agreed that the Maoist outgoing chairman Dahal would be the coordinator and CPN-S chairman Nepal would be the co-coordinator in the unified party. 

They have agreed that the name of the party will be CPN Samajwadi Party and the election symbol will be a five-pointed star. The Maoists have dropped the name along with Maoism and the CPN-S has dropped the name. Even though they previously merged with the Communist Party of Nepal (NCP), they have moved forward with socialist ideas. ‘It has been agreed that Prachandaji will be the coordinator and Madhav Nepal will be the co-coordinator,’ he said. ‘The unity will be announced at the national unity conference to be held on Kartik 19.’

According to Bhusal, after the announcement of the party unification, the parties already registered will submit an application for unification to the Election Commission. ‘After the party registration, we will start preparing for the election,’ Bhusal said. 

Leaders say that after the unification of the eight parties, there will be a central committee of about 1,000 people. It has been decided to include all the central members of all the eight parties in the committee. It has been decided to hold a national unity conference on Kartik 19 with the participation of the central committees of all the parties participating in the unification process. The agreement states that the conference will declare party unity, pass a manifesto and interim statute, and form a central committee.

Although the Maoists decided to hold a special general convention by mid-Mansir, the parties have now agreed to hold a unity general convention within six months. ‘The unification of the broad communist movement is today’s objective necessity to fulfill the goals of the socialist revolution by defending the federal democratic republic, protecting national independence, good governance, social justice, and economic and social transformation,’ the agreement states. ‘The guiding principle of the party will be Marxism-Leninism. The program of the Nepali revolution will be: Scientific socialism with Nepali characteristics.’

They have also agreed to hold a peaceful movement to build the foundation of socialism. ‘The foundation of socialism will be prepared by protecting the achievements of the capitalist democratic revolution, protecting national independence, good governance, social justice, socio-economic prosperity and transformation,’ the agreement states, ‘The form of the movement: The movement will basically be peaceful. All fronts, including the street, parliament and government, as needed, will be the fronts of the movement according to the situation.’

The central committee, which will be formed on the basis of mutual agreement by integrating the previous central committees of the parties that participated in the unification process, will be a jumbo of 1,000 people. They have stated that the operation of the new party will be in accordance with the principle of democratic centralism based on a collective leadership system. 

‘Continuous discussions will be held on ideological and political issues and the unity will be concluded through the national general convention,’ the agreement of the eight parties states.