KATHMANDU—Nepal's former Maoist rebels, on the verge of becoming the country's largest political party after a historic election, said on Thursday they were committed to the peace process but would not yet renounce violence completely.
Counting of votes was expected to end on Thursday. The contest will likely cement the Maoists, who have largely shed their Marxist ideology to embrace capitalism, as the largest party and give them a chance to lead a minority government.
The election, the centrepiece of a 2006 peace pact that ended a decade-long insurgency, is for a special assembly that will write a new constitution, abolish Nepal's 240-year-old monarchy and make laws.
The Maoist chief known as Prachanda told reporters after a meeting with Nepal's top donor nations and agencies that they wanted to take the peace process to a "logical conclusion".
"Right now I cannot renounce every kind of violence," he said, when asked if his party would formally give up violence after winning the election.
"But we want to lead this peace process to a logical conclusion and we want to create a model of peace and through this we want to renounce reactionary violence."
Nepal's history of squabble-ridden politics may hinder the formation of a new government, but analysts say one of the biggest threats to the peace process is the Maoist demand for their former fighters be integrated into the regular army.
Despite being part of the peace deal, Nepal's army has said it would not take in "politically indoctrinated" people, in comments seen as rejecting the Maoist demand.
But Prachanda reiterated that the process of integrating rebel combatants, now kept in United Nations-monitored camps as part of the peace treaty, will begin once the new government starts drafting the new constitution.
"As far as the question of integration is concerned we have already agreed to form a special committee," he said. "I hope that when we will initiate the process of drafting the new constitution simultaneously we will lead the process of integration."
Final tally
Election officials said the final tally of seats could be announced late on Thursday, but Nepali media said the vote count was complete and the Maoists were likely to bag 220 seats in the 601-member assembly, short of a simple majority.
A regional party from the country's southern Madhesh plains could win 52 seats, with the remainder goes to smaller parties, they said.
"So far as we are concerned there has been no official announcement of the final results," chief election commissioner Bhojraj Pokharel told Reuters. "Tabulation of proportional representation votes is on."
The election was conducted under a complex mix of direct and proportional representation systems. The Maoists have already officially won exactly half of the 240 first-past-the post constituency seats.
Another 335 seats are to be filled by proportional representation, while the new cabinet will nominate the remaining 26 members.
But with a fair indication of the results already available, the Maoists have begun consultations to cobble a coalition.
Traditional political parties are wary they will be marginalised in a Maoist-led government, analysts say.
Nepali Congress leaders were holding a meeting on Thursday to decide on joining the government.
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