The ruling Nepali Congress, on Sunday, elected Sher Bahadur Deuba to become its new parliamentary leader, automatically making him the new prime minister-designate, the party announced. Deuba, who led a shaky coalition government for 18 months between 1995 and 1997, was expected before final selection to win with the backing of at least 62 of the 113 lawmakers from the ruling Nepali Congress.
Candidates require over half the votes to win the party leadership election. Deuba`s only opponent was 63-year-old Sushil Koirala, the nephew of Girija Prasad Koirala, who resigned on Thursday as Prime Minister after leading Nepal for most of the last 11 years since the country`s absolute monarchy ended in a popular revolt.
Both men filed their candidacies on Sunday at the party`s office inside the closely guarded Parliament premises. Ex-prime minister Koirala`s most recent stint in office came to an end after 15 months when the 76-year-old leader was blamed for embarrassing setbacks suffering by security forces at the hands of maoist insurgents and for failing to offer adequate protection for Nepal`s royal family.
Deuba, 55, is knowns as a flexible leader who is accommodating toward the opposition parties. During his tenure he managed to cling on to power by putting together an unwieldily coalition government. In a party vote for the same office last April, Deuba lost to the elder Koirala by 69-43. Koirala replaced Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, who was forced out of office for failing to maintain law and order and control corruption in government.
Bureau Report