He was the candidate of the Nepalese Congress, but he also had the support of the Prime Minister and the Maoists. For its part, the Communist Party (unified Marxist-Leninist) withdrew its support for the ruling coalition in recent weeks. According to analysts, the phase of political instability has not yet ended.
Kathmandu ( / Agencies) – Ram Chandra Paudel is the new president of Nepal, elected today by members of Parliament. Leader of the Nepalese Congress Party, he prevailed over Subas Nembang, the candidate proposed by the Communist Party of Nepal (unified Marxist-Leninist).
In recent days the alliance between the Marxist-Leninist Party and the Maoist Center had broken after the latter decided to support the candidacy of Ram Chandra Paudel. After Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, from the Maoist Center, announced that he would support the opposition presidential candidate, four ministers resigned in protest. The United Communist Marxist-Leninist Party then withdrew from the ruling coalition, forcing the prime minister to request a new vote of confidence in parliament, scheduled for the end of the month.
“The phase of political instability in Nepal has not ended despite the success of the national elections and the presence of a new coalition government,” he told Al Jazeera Dhruba Adhikary, an independent analyst from Kathmandu.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, a former Maoist rebel known by the nickname Prachanda – which means “fierce” – had come to power backed by Marxist-Leninists, after last year’s November elections failed to define a clear winner.
Until now, Dahal has tried to balance relations between China and India, which are vying for influence in Nepal. After the elections, the prime minister usually travels to Beijing or Delhi, but the current prime minister has not yet announced any such visit.
The small Himalayan nation is struggling to recover economically after the Covid-19 pandemic, which has hampered an influx of foreign tourists who travel to the country mainly to trek or climb the Himalayas.
Nepal abolished the monarchy in 2008 and has changed governments eight times in the past 10 years.
