Oli did not accept calls to step down as chair and become a patron: Yubaraj Gyawali

Kathmandu – Yuvraj Gyawali, a vice-chair of the Communist Party of Nepal – Unified Marxist Leninist who has withdrawn from active politics, has said that party chair KP Sharma Oli refused to heed his advice not to run again for the chair.

Speaking to journalists while attending the party’s ongoing 11th General Convention at Bhrikutimandap, Gyawali said he had urged Oli—both in writing and verbally—to step down as chair and assume the role of party patron, but Oli did not agree.

“You (Oli) have been chair for 11 years and prime minister four times. I have repeatedly, both in writing and verbally, asked you to become a patron now,” he said. “But he did not accept it. What came across was that he intends to remain in office as long as he can.”

Gyawali also said that in a democracy, many problems arise when a single individual holds an executive position for a long time. For this reason, he clarified, he himself stepped down from the vice-chair position after completing two terms.

“I am in favor of a two-term limit. In a democracy, when one person remains in an executive post for too long, numerous problems emerge. That is why, even though Oli did not agree, I chose to step aside, saying one must either move forward to a higher position or step down,” he said.

He also objected to the removal of provisions on a two-year term and age limits that had been in place during the 9th and 10th General Conventions.

Gyawali clarified that although he is no longer holding a post, he remains active in politics. Along with Gyawali, Vice-Chair Ashta Laxmi Shakya has also announced her retirement from active politics.