KIRAN PANDAY MEDIA SPOTLIGHT: Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Baburam Bhattarai and CP Gajurel address a packed press conference on Tuesday to say their party had lost the "moral authority" to form a government. However, Dahal did not categorically rule it out.

The Maoists are coming under pressure from the political parties and the international community to take what is rightfully theirs and lead the new government.

However, they appear to have recovered from their presidential defeat to pick up where they left off. On Thursday, they held a consultation with the 25 parties in the assembly who were said to be nearly unanimous in insisting that the Maoists lead the government.

When President Yadav formally asks the largest party to form a government on Friday, it seems the Maoists want to be ready.

By allowing the UML assembly speaker to be elected unopposed on Thursday, the Maoists also have shown that they are open to government formation. The UML is trying to assure the Maoists that its alliance with the NC and MJF was temporary.

However, the level of distrust between the Maoists and the NC-MJF-UML combine is still deep.

"We are concerned about this alignment, they could go to the president and get him to call on them to form a government," says Maoist CA nominee, Hari Roka.

Arjun Narsingh KC of the NC dismisses this. "We don't want to form a government, it is the Maoists who have the first chance as the largest party," he told Nepali Times.

The kangresis seem content to have their candidate as president, and won't mind being in the opposition. The MJF, however, is still fishing to see if there is a chance to also claim the prime ministership.

The real problem about government formation is not between the Maoists and the other parties but within the Maoist central committee where a group led by Mohan Baidya is said to be against forming the government now.

Whether the Maoists will form the government will therefore depend on how soon Pushpa Kamal Dahal can convince his hardline colleagues to do it.