• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Nepal lawmakers again fail to elect prime minister

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, Sept 30, IRNA -- Nepali Congress leader R C Poudyal, the sole candidate for the post of prime minister, Thursday failed in his ninth attempt in a row to garner a majority in parliament, prolonging Nepal's political uncertainty.

65-year-old Poudyal, secured 105 votes in favour, while two lawmakers voted against him in the the 601-member Constituent Assembly. Needing 301 votes for a majority, the election saw most of the other lawmakers either abstaining or remaining neutral.

Following Maoist chief Prachanda's failure to get majority support in Parliament seven times in a row, he withdrew from the election on September 17 after a deal with the CPN-UML in bid to facilitate the formation of a national consensus government.

Unified CPN (Maoist) and CPN-UML lawmakers did not participate in the voting process today. The next round of poll will take place on October 6.

Three months after the 22-party coalition led by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal collapsed, nine rounds of poll have failed to elect a new leader. The country has been without a government since June 30, when Nepal stood down under intense pressure from the Maoists.

CPN-Maoist, which ended its decade-long civil war in 2006, is the single largest party with 238 seats in the Assembly, while Nepali Congress has 114 members in the House whose two-year term was extended by one year on May 28.

The CPN-UML with the strength of 109 and the Madhesi alliance with the combine strength of 82 and other smaller parties have called for a national government.

The major parties had failed to agree on a consensus candidate for the post of the Prime Minister, leading to the process of electing a new leader through majority vote in the Constituent Assembly.

Nepali Congress has ruled out the possibility of forming the next government under the Maoists' leadership as the former rebels have not yet laid down arms, managed their combatants and dissolved the paramilitary organization of its youth wing, Young Communist League.