Prerana Marasini and agencies
Wins 464 out of 577 votes cast in the Constituent Assembly
KATHMANDU: Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), was elected the first Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal on Friday by a huge majority. In the election in the Constituent Assembly (CA), he won 464 votes against his rival, Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress, who got only 113 out of the 577 votes cast.
Though the CA comprises 601 members, only 594 are valid voters. The seats of six members, who had won from two constituencies in the CA elections, were reduced to one each. One member is still to be sworn in.
The remaining 17 did not take part in the prime ministerial election.
The two major parties, CPN (UML) and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF), on Thursday had reached an agreement to support Mr. Prachanda’s candidacy, which was later backed by the smaller parties.
The CA started the two-round voting around 6.10 p.m. local time (1225 GMT).
The result was announced by CA Chairman Subash Nembang. “The proposal in favour of Pushpa Kamal Dahal [Prachanda] as the Prime Minister was supported by 464 votes,” Mr. Nembang said, “So, I announce his win as the Prime Minister.”
Fifty-four-year-old Prachanda was born in a farmer’s family in Pokhara. He got his primary education in his home town. He went to the Kathmandu Valley for higher studies and did his ISc on the Patan Multiple Campus. Later, he graduated in agriculture from the Rampur Agriculture Campus in 1976.
Mr. Dahal’s daughter Renu Dahal is also a CA member.
Mr. Dahal’s close associate Baburam Bhattarai says Mr. Dahal chose the name Prachanda, “as it does not reflect any caste or religion.” Mr. Prachanda himself once said that his name Pushpa Kamal Dahal clearly indicated he was a Brahmin.
Mr. Prachanda joined the Communist Revolution in 1971. With some communist friends, he established a Marxism-learning group in 1974. In 1995, he became the General Secretary of the Maoists, and in 2000, became the Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).
He lived an underground life for 25 years, from 1980 to 2005. The Maoists were termed ‘terrorists’ by the then Deuba government. Interestingly, it was during the Deuba reign that the government first held talks with the Maoists.
For over a decade the Maoists waged an armed struggle, but three years ago, when G.P. Koirala was the Prime Minister, they ended their war and signed a peace accord.
Published - August 16, 2008 12:00 am IST
