As part of an Deal with another party, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, would serve as the new government’s head until 2025.
Kathmandu: After last month’s election resulted in a hung parliament, a former Maoist leader who spearheaded a decade-long uprising against Nepal’s monarchy was named prime minister for a third time in coalition with the main opposition.
According to party officials, Pushpa Kamal Dahal will lead the new administration for the first two years of the five-year term with the backing of the opposition Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML) party and other smaller organisations. Pushpa Kamal Dahal continues to go by the moniker Prachanda, which means “terrible” or “fierce.”
“He has been appointed and commands the support of a big majority of parliament,” Tika Dhakal, an aide to President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, told Reuters news agency.
Prachanda is likely to take the oath of office on Monday and prove his majority in the 275-member house later in the week. Seven parties have pledged their support for him.
Prachanda, who replaces Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress party, will step down in 2025, making way for the UML to take over the office, local media reported.
“This is the understanding. Remaining work of distribution of key other posts and ministries is still to be worked out,” Dev Gurung, the general secretary of Prachanda’s Maoist Centre party told Reuters after a meeting of the new coalition.
The new coalition comes to power hours after Prachanda, 68, surprisingly walked out of the ruling alliance led by 76-year-old Deuba.
Deuba, whose Nepali Congress emerged as the single largest party after the November 20 polls, refused to back Prachanda for the prime minister’s job.
Prachanda’s Maoist Centre party won 32 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives. The UML has 78 seats, and the rest, required for the 138-majority, will be controlled by smaller groups.
The Nepali Congress party will be the main opposition controlling 89 seats.
