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KATHMANDU, Dec. 31-- 2017 will be remembered as an election year for Nepal as three crucial local, provincial and federal elections were held successfully, giving high hopes to local people that the country will usher in much-needed political stability and development. Nepal held the local body elections in over 700 village and municipal units in three phases in May, July and September, which were halted since 1997 due to political instability. In the run-up to the elections in October, two major left-wing parties, the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist) and CPN (Maoist Center), decided to forge alliance while announcing their plan to merge and launch a new communist party in Nepal. This gave a big surprise to many Nepali people who were in a jolly mood on the eve of Dashain, the biggest festival in Nepal. Nepal held elections to provincial assemblies and federal parliament simultaneously in two phases in November and December and the results have already been made public by the Election Commission. The CPN (UML), one of the oldest communist forces in Nepal, has emerged as the largest political party through these elections. The Nepali Congress, one of the oldest democratic forces who used to be the largest force, became the second largest this time. The CPN (Maoist Center), another communist party, ranked third through these elections. The CPN (UML) and CPN (Maoist Center) are likely to form the new coalition government within a month after the formation of the National Assembly, local media reported. K.P. Oli, the chairman of CPN (UML), is tipped to be the next prime minister of Nepal. | 
