M A I N   N E W S

Prachanda is PM
Bishnu Budhathoki writes from Kathmandu

CPN (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda has been elected as the prime minister of the republic of Nepal. The constituent assembly (CA) meeting held at the International Convention Centre in Kathmandu on Friday elected former rebels’ supremo to the country’s most powerful post of executive head with an overwhelming majority. He defeated his nearest rival Sher Bahadur Dueba, a senior leader of Nepali Congress (NC) and former prime minister.

Speaker Subash Nemwang announced Dahal’s victory. Dahal has been elected to the post by securing 464 votes out of the total 577 votes cast. Deuba bagged just 113 votes. Deuba informed that his party would stay in the opposition and play a constructive role in the process of constitution writing.

Prachanda, who had joined the mainstream politics in 2006, was elected as the new prime minister as he was able to garner support from 21 parties out of 25 in the CA.

While speaking in the parliamentary meeting, most of the political party leaders, except those from the NC, had expressed readiness to support the Maoist chairman’s bid for the premiership, whereas three fringe parties — the People’s Front Nepal and Nepal Workers and the Peasants’ Party — boycotted the poll fray.

Prachanda’s victory was confirmed when the CPN-UML and the Madhesi People’s Rights Forum, the third and fourth largest party in the CA, decided to support him after reaching a seven-point agreement on Thursday.

Earlier today, Maoist second-in-command Dr Baburam Bhattarai had expressed commitment to the democratic system and announced control of para-military activities unleashed by the Young Communist League, the youth wing of Maoists, and return all properties illegally seized by the party members.

He had also urged the NC to support the Maoist candidate and help in forming a consensus government to consolidate the democratic system, take the ongoing peace process to a logical end. The Speaker has sent a letter to the President informing that Prachanda has been elected as the new prime minister. It is reported that the President would administer the oath of office and secrecy to the newly elected prime minister within a few days.

Meanwhile, a report from New Delhi said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has congratulated Prachanda on his election.