**Thousands of Maoists have gathered in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, for a May Day demonstration aimed at forcing the government to stand down.**The Maoists, who insist the rally will be peaceful, want to lead a national unity government.
Amid rising tension, the party, the largest in parliament, has threatened an indefinite strike from Sunday.
Correspondents say the peace process, which ended 10 years of conflict, may be in danger of collapsing.
Saturday’s march is going ahead despite last-minute talks between Maoist leaders and senior government officials.
‘No alternative’
Maoist leaders say they expect half a million people to take part in the rally marking International Worker’s Day.
The Maoists insist the demonstration will be non-violent, but the security forces have been put on high-alert.
Earlier this week Maoist leader Prachanda said he had “no alternative” but to increase pressure on the government, which he said had no intention of drawing up a new constitution by a deadline of 28 May.
The BBC’s Joanna Jolly in Kathmandu says it looks increasingly unlikely that the deadline will be met.
The Maoists, who ended their rebellion in 2006, have the largest number of seats in parliament.
They resigned from government a year ago, after the president overruled their decision to sack the army chief.
In recent months, Maoist-led strikes and protests have brought Kathmandu to a standstill.This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
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