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16043
Sat, 08/16/2008 - 08:57
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Prachanda set to win landmark contest against Deuba
Kathmandu, Aug 16 (PTI) Maoist chairman Prachanda, who led a decade-long armed struggle against monarchy in Nepal, is set to be elected as the country's new prime minister with the support of two major political parties in the Constituent Assembly, which votes in a landmark contest on Friday.
The Maoist leader is being backed against Nepali Congress candidate and former Premier Sher Bahadur Deuba by the leftist Communist Party of Nepal-United Maoist Leninist and the Terai-based Madhesi People's Rights Forum (M.P.R.F.) along with some smaller parties, after they agreed on a seven-pointagenda Thursday.
The election for the prime ministerial candidate will take place this afternoon at International Convention Centre in Kathmandu. Unlike the secret voting that took place during the presidential poll, this time the voting will be conductedopenly with a split voting procedure being adopted.
C.P.N.-U.M.L. and M.P.R.F. have signed a seven point pact with the Maoists on power sharing, common minimum programmeand other key issues.
Prachanda is expected to get a two thirds majority as the three party alliance have a total of 387 votes with Maoists having 227, U.M.L. 108 and M.P.R.F. 52 candidates in the 601 member strong Assembly. Sher Bahadur Deuba of Nepali Congress,on the other hand, is likely to get a minimum of 114 votes.
It is interesting to note that Prachanda is contesting against former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, whose rejection of the Maoists key demands in 1996 had led theformer rebels take up arms.
The Maoists, who had participated in the 1990 and 1994 elections had put forth 40-point demands before Deuba's government in 1996, including scrapping of the 1950 friendship treaty with India, controlling the open Indo-Nepal border, banning Hindi films and issuing work permit to Indian workersin Nepal.
During Deuba's second tenure as Prime Minister, the government placed a price tag on the head of top Maoist leaders, including Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai. PTI
The Maoist leader is being backed against Nepali Congress candidate and former Premier Sher Bahadur Deuba by the leftist Communist Party of Nepal-United Maoist Leninist and the Terai-based Madhesi People's Rights Forum (M.P.R.F.) along with some smaller parties, after they agreed on a seven-pointagenda Thursday.
The election for the prime ministerial candidate will take place this afternoon at International Convention Centre in Kathmandu. Unlike the secret voting that took place during the presidential poll, this time the voting will be conductedopenly with a split voting procedure being adopted.
C.P.N.-U.M.L. and M.P.R.F. have signed a seven point pact with the Maoists on power sharing, common minimum programmeand other key issues.
Prachanda is expected to get a two thirds majority as the three party alliance have a total of 387 votes with Maoists having 227, U.M.L. 108 and M.P.R.F. 52 candidates in the 601 member strong Assembly. Sher Bahadur Deuba of Nepali Congress,on the other hand, is likely to get a minimum of 114 votes.
It is interesting to note that Prachanda is contesting against former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, whose rejection of the Maoists key demands in 1996 had led theformer rebels take up arms.
The Maoists, who had participated in the 1990 and 1994 elections had put forth 40-point demands before Deuba's government in 1996, including scrapping of the 1950 friendship treaty with India, controlling the open Indo-Nepal border, banning Hindi films and issuing work permit to Indian workersin Nepal.
During Deuba's second tenure as Prime Minister, the government placed a price tag on the head of top Maoist leaders, including Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai. PTI
