The Secretary-General welcomes the election today of Mr. Jhalanath Khanal as Prime Minister of Nepal, ending a prolonged stalemate on forming a new government. He congratulates the Prime Minister-elect and reaffirms the support of the United Nations to all efforts to complete the peace process and to adopt a new constitution by the stipulated date of 28 May 2011

The Secretary-General commends the Parliament for this significant achievement and all Nepali parties and leaders for their efforts to form a new government. He believes this development will give a significant boost to efforts to fully implement their outstanding commitments under the Comprehensive Peace Accord and the interim constitution, notably the integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants, democratization of the army and adoption of a new constitution. He reiterates his repeated calls on all parties and political leaders to work through consensus and compromise to achieve these goals.