Kathmandu, December 25
President Bidya Devi Bhandari has appointed CPN-Maoist Centre Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal as the new prime minister of the country.
Dahal has received support from 169 members (including himself) of the 275-member House of Representatives to claim the top executive position.
The CPN-UML, CPN-Maoist Centre, Rastriya Swatantra Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Janata Samajbadi Party, Janamat Party and Nagarik Unmukti Party have supported Dahal for the new PM. Three independent lawmakers have also joined hands.
It means the biggest party in the House, Nepali Congress along with CPN-Unified Socialist, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party and Rastriya Janamorcha are in the opposition for now.
Earlier today, Dahal received the backing of the 78-strong CPN-UML to claim the position on a sharing basis. After some 2.5 years, he will hand over the position to UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli.
The Maoist Centre, which was a part of the Nepali Congress-led alliance during the recent elections, had been demanding that Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba-led Nepali Congress give Dahal a chance to lead the government, at least for the first two years as per an agreement for leadership by turns.
As Deuba rejected the proposal, Dahal went to Oli and convince him to agree to the idea.
Sources at the President’s Office say Pushpa Kamal Dahal will be administered the oath of office and secrecy on Monday.
