A spokesperson for the United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) made the announcement at the party convention. Envoys from foreign communist parties find it hard to hide their astonishment. Nepal is leaving communism for capitalism. So says Agni Sapkota, spokesperson for the ruling United Communist Party of Nepal. "The global context and our geopolitical situation show that communism does not benefit our country," he told the party's seventh convention. With this in mind, the Maoists will now undergo a "peaceful transformation". At the first party convention in 21 years, the party re-elected Pushpa Kamal Dahal as its chairman. In his inaugural speech, he urged his fellow party members to "fight together to promote the country's economy and bring prosperity to the poor". Envoys from communist parties in other countries welcomed the decision to undergo a "peaceful transformation" and endorsed the decision to drop extremist Maoist positions. However, there were also many who expressed surprise at the decision to move to capitalism.
