Nepal Maoist head sworn in as PM
The Nepalese Maoist leader, Prachanda, has been sworn in as prime
minister, completing his transition from rebel leader to constitutional
politician.
Prachanda, the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal, took the
oath of office following his election last week in the constituent
assembly.
He said he would remain faithful to nation and to the people of
Nepal.
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Former rebel leader and Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal Maoist
and Nepal's newly elected Prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal,
known as Prachanda (R) is sworn in as prime minister by
president of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, Ram
Baran Yadav (L) as chairman of the constitutional assembly
Subhas Nerwang looks on at the office of the President in
Shital Niwas in Kathmandu on August 18. The leader of
Nepal's Maoists, Prachanda, was sworn in as prime minister
of the world's youngest republic. The former rebel chief was
on August 15 overwhelmingly voted in as Nepal's new premier
by lawmakers in the country's constitutional assembly, which
had abolished the unpopular monarchy in May. -AFP |
Maoists won a surprise victory in April elections, and two other key
parties supported his bid to be premier. Prachanda took the oath of
office from President Ram Baran Yadav on Monday in an event that was
broadcast live on national television.
His Maoist party won 227 seats in the 601-member constituent assembly
in April elections to become its biggest group.
That body, which also works as a parliament, overwhelmingly voted to
abolish the 239-year-old monarchy a month later and is now expected to
draft a constitution.
"We have come from a different background and this is a mandate the
people have given to us to lead the country to peace," Prachanda after
his party's surprise victory in the vote. "We'll honour this."
The 53-year-old won 80% of votes in the assembly on Friday to defeat
his only rival, the Congress Party candidate, Sher Bahadur Deuba. It is
only two years since Prachanda emerged from more than two decades
underground as a militant communist leader.
What the Maoists called their "people's war" left 13,000 people dead,
tens of thousands displaced and much of the country's infrastructure
destroyed.
Correspondents say that the former guerrilla will now be the most
powerful politician in the Himalayan country. Monday's swearing in ends
months of political deadlock that had followed the sacking of the
unpopular King Gyanendra and the abolition of the 240-year-old monarchy.
Prachanda's elevation had long seemed inevitable after his party
scored its convincing win in April.
He was almost guaranteed victory because he had the support of three
parties - his own, the Communist Party of Nepal (United
Marxist-Leninist) and the MJF (Madheshi Janadhikar Forum).
The opposition Congress party has accused the Maoists of plotting to
set up a totalitarian communist regime, a suggestion they have strongly
denied.
-BBC |
