(24 Apr 2008) 1. Set-up of Maoist leader Prachanda (second left), standing next to Maoist deputy leader Baburam Bhattarai (far left), and UN officials at news conference at UN office 2. Mid of Bhattarai 3. SOUNDBITE: (Nepali) Prachanda, Nepal's Maoist leader: "The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly will end the monarchy and establish a republic. There will be no compromise or any vacillations." 4. Cutaway of journalists 5. SOUNDBITE: (Nepali) Prachanda, Nepal's Maoist leader: "I hope after this meeting America will reconsider its policy because our party hopes to establish diplomatic relations with the United States for cooperation in the creation of the new Nepal." 6. Cutaway of UN officials 7. SOUNDBITE: (Nepali) Prachanda, Nepal's Maoist leader: "It is my desire to be the president. But since there is no provision in the present constitution, we will have to reach some agreement with the other political parties." 8. Cutaway of journalists 9. Mid of Prachanda, Bhattarai and UN officials shaking hands and leaving after news conference STORYLINE: Nepal's former communist rebels have won the most seats in the country's new governing assembly, taking more than double the number of their nearest rival, an election official said in Katmandu on Thursday. The former insurgents, known as the Maoists, are now expected to form the backbone of Nepal's new government and usher in sweeping changes to the impoverished Himalayan nation, although they won't have an absolute majority in the 601-seat Constituent Assembly. Among the biggest likely changes is the abolition of Nepal's 239-year-old monarchy, which the Maoists and the other major parties have repeatedly made clear must go. "The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly will end the monarchy and establish a republic. There will be no compromise or any vacillations," the Maoist leader, who is known as Prachanda, or "the fierce one" in Nepali, told reporters on Thursday. But the Maoists, who are still considered "terrorists" by the United States, have made it clear they are committed capitalists, albeit left-leaning ones, and have no plans to transform Nepal into a communist state. Following a meeting with UN officials and foreign ambassadors in Katmandu, Prachanda told reporters he hoped the US would reconsider its policy on the Maoists. "Our party hopes to establish diplomatic relations with the United States for cooperation in the creation of the new Nepal," he said. There is, however, still much uncertainty over what the new government will look like. The Maoists have been in talks in recent days with the other major parties about forming an administration and are pushing for the creation of a president - a job they want filled by Prachanda. "It is my desire to be the president, but since there is no provision in the present constitution," Prachanda said. "We will have to reach some agreement with the other political parties." Prachanda's reaction to Thursday's news was subdued - he spoke about the mechanics of government and shied away from grand statements about Nepal's future. It was clear that the Maoists, who have led the vote tally since counting began, have moved past celebrating and are now trying to work out how to run a country that they bled for a decade with a rebellion that cost about 13,000 lives. The assembly the Maoists will lead is charged with rewriting Nepal's constitution while it governs the country. Its seats were chosen through a mix of direct elections and a proportional representation system. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/e5758b3a618fdab9d754bb6b126e31f7

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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