Nepal Assembly fails to elect Prez, Madhesi leader is new VP

Shirish B. Pradhan

Kathmandu, July 19 (PTI) Nepal's Constituent Assembly
Saturday failed to elect the country's first president after a
vote saw a vertical split in the House with the Nepali
Congress candidate Ram Baran Yadav falling short of just four
votes from the magic figure, prolonging the months long
political uncertainty in the Himalayan country.

However, Madhesi People's Rights Forum leader Parmanand
Jha was elected Vice President with 312 votes, riding on the
support of Nepali Congress and Communist Party of Nepal
(United Marxist Leninist).

A last minute choice of the major parties to oppose the
Maoist candidate for the President's post Ramrajraja Prasad
Singh, who was the favourite till Friday, 60-year-old Yadav
got 294 votes in the 594-member House, narrowly missing the
mandatory 298 votes.

Maoist candidate Singh, 74, of Nava Janawadi Morcha,
was close behind with 282 votes. He was earlier expected to
win the election after Madhesi parties which have 86
parliamentarians had promised to back him.

But seeking to turn the tables, the Nepali Congress
(110) and C.P.N.-U.M.L. (103), the second and third largest
parties respectively after the Maoists, Saturday decided to
forge an alliance with other groups to prevent the former
rebels from getting the post of the first president of Nepal.

Saturday's election which saw a straight contest between
the two candidates after C.P.N.-U.M.L.'s Ram Prit Paswan
withdrew his candidature in the eleventh hour was expected to
end the deadlock since the April 10 election and pave the way
for a government led by Maoist chief Prachanda.