KATHMANDU, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) — Unified Communist Party of Nepal- Maoist (UCPN-M) Vice Chairman Babu Ram Bhattarai was elected as the new Prime Minister of Nepal on Sunday.
Bhattarai defeated Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel by garnering 340 votes from 575 present Constituent Assembly (CA) members.
Sunday’s voting took place after the political parties failed to form a consensus government within the 10-day deadline issued by President Ram Baran Yadav after Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal resigned on Aug. 14.
The UCPN-M, the largest party in the 594-member Constituent Assembly with 236 lawmakers, was upbeat about Bhattarai’s chance of winning the election.
Nepali Congress is the second largest party with 114 CA seats
To win the election, a candidate needs to garner 298 votes from the 594 sitting lawmakers.
