Nepalese lawmakers set to elect new PM

KATHMANDU: Nepalese lawmakers on Sunday kick- started the process for the election of a new prime minister, with the Maoist candidate Baburam Bhattarai and his Nepali Congress rival R. C Poudyal struggling to garner a majority in parliament.

No party holds a majority in the 601-member Constituent Assembly, whcih acts as the country's interim parliament. The UCPN-Maoist, which has 236 seats in the Constituent Assembly, is the largest party in the House. The second largest Nepali Congress, the main opposition, has 114 members followed by CPN-UML, which has 107 members.

The United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF), the alliance of Madhesi parties that has emerged as the fourth largest political force in the Assembly, has decided to support Bhattarai, The Himalayan Times daily said.

It said the CPN-UML, the third largest party, has decided to back Nepali Congress leader Poudyal.

According to the report, the chances of the Nepali Congress leader winning the election "are slim" as the Madhesi Front has decided to support Bhattarai.

It has made the Maoists candidate the favourite to win the polls, myrepublica online, the website of My Republica newspapers said.

Caretaker Prime Minister Jhal Nath Khanal, who was elected after 17 rounds of polls in Parliament over a period of seven months on February 3, resigned on August 14 for failing to make "concrete" process in the peace process.

Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress has unveiled an 11-point concept paper which envisages giving a momentum to the stalled peace process, drafting a new constitution and addressing the outstanding issues linked to the integration of the former Maoists combatants, including modality, norms and standards and rank harmonization of the former PLA fighters.