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Nepal's lawmakers fail to elect new prime minister for 13th time

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, Oct 26, IRNA -- Nepal’s lawmakers Tuesday failed to elect new prime minister 13th time in a row.

The lawmakers failed to end the uncertainty over the formation of a new government Tuesday as Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudyal, the sole candidate for the post, was unable to garner a majority support for an unprecedented 13th time.

Nearly four months after the 22-party coalition led by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal collapsed, 13 rounds of elections in Parliament have so far failed to elect a new leader.

65-year-old Poudyal, who is adamant over not quitting the race despite a boycott of the process by the main opposition Maoists and CPN-UML, secured 98 votes in the 601-member Constituent Assembly, which functions as the country's interim parliament.

Of the 144 lawmakers who participated in the voting, 44 remained neutral while two cast their votes against Poudyal, who remains the sole candidate after the withdrawal of Maoist chief Prachanda following a deal with the CPN-UML on September 17 in a bid to facilitate the formation of a national consensus government.

The next two rounds of the election will take place on October 29 and November 1, according to Parliament Secretariat.

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

The CPN-UML, the third largest party with a strength of 109 and the Madhesi alliance with the combined strength of some 80 lawmakers and other smaller parties have called for a national government.

The Maoists, CPN-UML and the Madhesi alliance have been staying away from the election process as they want the formation of a national government.

The country has been in political limbo since the June 30 resignation of Nepal. It has stalled the country's peace process and delayed the annual budget, bringing the nation on the brink of financial crisis.

Nepali Congress has ruled out the possibility of forming the next government under the Maoists' leadership till the former rebels lay down their arms, integrate their combatants with the security forces and dissolve the paramilitary organisation of their youth wing, Young Communist League, so that the peace process could be completed.

As per Nepal's interim constitution, the election process should continue till a new leader is elected in the parliament through a simple majority of 301 vote.

The Maoists, who joined mainstream politics after the 2006 peace deal with the interim government led by G. P. Koirala, won the largest number of parliamentary seats in the April 2008 elections.

The Maoists led by Prachanda won the 2008 elections and formed a government, but it later collapsed after a dispute with President Ram Baran Yadav over their attempt to replace the then army chief Rukmangad Katwal.