Prachanda elected Nepal PM, Madhesis to extend outside support

From Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu: Maoist chief Prachanda was today elected by lawmakers as Nepal’s Prime Minister for a second time with his elevation expected to bring much-needed political stability in the country bogged down by deep divisions over the new Constitution.

Though Pushpa Kamal Dahal — better known as Prachanda — was the only contender for the top post, he had to go through the voting as the Constitution requires the Prime Minister to prove support of the majority lawmakers in the House.

The 61-year-old CPN-Maoist Centre chief was elected Prime Minister with 363 votes in favour and 210 against him. Out of a total 595 members, 22 did not vote.

Ahead of the election, Prachanda addressed the House and said that he would try to lead the nation toward economic development while moving ahead with the spirit of national consensus during his premiership.

This is the second time Prachanda has become Prime Minister after his brief stint with premiership came to an end in 2009.

He was prime minister from 2008 to 2009 before a disagreement with the military over his attempt to sack the army chief brought his period in office to an early end.

Prachanda won today’s vote after Nepali Congress and CPN Maoist Centre signed a three-point agreement with the Madhesi Front to secure support from the Madhesi parties for their bid to form a new government led by him.

The Prime Minister’s post had been left vacant since last month after CPN-UML chairman K P Sharma Oli tendered his resignation following the Maoist’s withdrawal of support to the coalition government.

Madhesis to extend outside support to Nepal govt
From Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu:Madhesi parties will not join Nepal’s new government under Prime Minister Prachanda and will extend support from outside, a top Madhesi leader said today while asserting that they would consider joining only after their demands are met through constitutional amendments.

The three forces — CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress and the United Democratic Madhesi Front — agreed that the new government would table a Constitutional amendment bill in the Parliament on the basis of political consensus to address the demands of the Madhesi parties over the country’s new Constitution, said Manish Suman, general secretary of Sadbhawana Party.

The Sadbhawana Party is a key Madhesi party.

The three sides engaged in two days-long marathon meeting before inking the three-point deal today that ensured Madhesi Front’s support to the 61-year-old CPN-Maoist Centre president’s premiership candidacy.

They have also agreed to form a probe committee led by a former justice of the Supreme Court that would look into the incidents of violence that took place during last year’s Madhesi agitation led by the Front, Suman said.

Those killed in the protests would be declared martyrs by the government and the kins of victims would be provided with financial assistance. The government would also provide free treatment to those injured during the protests, he said.

The cadres of the agitating Madhesi and ethnic groups, who got arrested during the protests, would be released and cases filed against them would be withdrawn, as per the agreement.

The third point of agreement stated that the Madhesis, whose combined strength is 42 in the 595-member Parliament, would vote in favour of Prachanda in the Premier’s election.

The Madhesi parties said they would support the new government from outside and would not join the ministry immediately.

“We will consider the idea of whether to join the government only after our demands are actually met through constitutional amendments,” said Suman.

PTI