Prachanda, Poudel fail to get support of lawmakers | World News - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Prachanda, Poudel fail to get support of lawmakers

Hindustan Times | By, Kathmandu
Aug 06, 2010 05:46 PM IST

Despite efforts by India to break the ongoing deadlock among political parties, Nepali lawmakers failed to elect a new prime minister for the fourth time on Friday.

Despite efforts by India to break the ongoing deadlock among political parties, Nepali lawmakers failed to elect a new prime minister for the fourth time on Friday.

HT Image
HT Image

Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ secured 231 votes while Nepali Congress parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Poudel got support from only 122 lawmakers.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

A candidate needs 300 votes to win.

The outcome was expected as CPN-UML, which has 108 members and United Democratic Madhesi Front—the umbrella group of four Madhes-based parties that have 83 candidates abstained from voting.

Today’s voting however brought out some interesting outcomes as ‘Prachanda’ failed to get support of some colleagues and few Nepali Congress lawmakers abstained from voting against the Maoist candidate.

Maoists have 239 members, eight more than the number of votes ‘Prachanda’ got and despite NC having 114 members, only 99 of them voted against the motion to elect the Maoist chief.

“There’s no question of withdrawing from the contest. I am sure we will able to get a positive result the next time,” said Poudel after voting was over.

The next round of voting will take place on August 18.

On Wednesday, former Indian foreign secretary Shyam Saran had reached Kathmandu to find a way out of the deadlock and take the peace and constitution drafting processes forward.

Sent as PM Manmohan Singh’s special envoy, Saran had several rounds of meetings with Maoists, NC, CPN-UML and Madhesi leaders before flying back to New Delhi on Friday.

Nepal is in the process of selecting its 34th PM by majority vote as there was no consensus among parties on forming a coalition government after Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal resigned in June.

As per provisions of the interim constitution, the voting process would continue till a candidate secures the votes required to win. No new candidate can enter the fray midway.

Unlock a world of Benefits with HT! From insightful newsletters to real-time news alerts and a personalized news feed – it's all here, just a click away! - Login Now!

Get Latest World News along with Latest News from India at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Utpal is a Senior Assistant Editor based in Guwahati. He covers seven states of North-East India and heads the editorial team for the region. He was previously based in Kathmandu, Dehradun and Delhi with Hindustan Times.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On