Kathmandu, July 25 -- UML and the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) have signed an agreement to jointly form and run provincial governments, outlining how leadership will be shared across the country's seven provinces.

The agreement, signed on Saturday by UML chairman KP Sharma Oli and NCP coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal, commits the two parties to cooperate in the provincial assemblies and establish coalition governments.

Under the deal, the UML, the largest communist party in the country, will lead the provincial governments in Koshi, Bagmati and Lumbini, while the NCP will head the governments in Karnali and Sudurpashchim.

In Madhesh and Gandaki, however, the two parties have agreed to consult with other political parties represented in t...