In a power sharing formula, rebel Maoist leader Prachanda was elected today (15th August’08) as the first Prime Minister of Republic of Nepal in the post monarchy scenario. Prachanda filed his nomination papers for the polls after signing a seven points power sharing formula with the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) and the ethnic Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF).
He defeated Nepali Congress (NC) candidate by a very handsome margin of 351 votes shoring up 464 votes in favor with NC candidate Sher Bahadur Deuba, a former 3-times premier of Nepal under monarchy, getting a mere 113 votes in the poll in constituent assembly convened specially for the purpose.
Jhalanath Khanal of CPN-UML as proposer and MJF leader Upendra Yadav as seconder signed the nomination paper of Prachanda. The Election was only of academic interests as none of the political parties except NC supported Deuba.
The election finally ends years of turmoil in the erstwhile hill kingdom and months of political uncertainty after the removal of King Gyanendra and conversion of the state into a democratic secular republic.
The assembly members burst into thunderous applause cheering, clapping and banging their desks after the assembly Chairman Subash Nemwang declared the results.
Pushp Kamal Dahal or Prachanda as he is nicknamed, led a decade long insurgency which overthrew the 240-year-old of monarchy costing some 14000 lives in the process, as per conservative estimates.
“I am very happy and emotional at this juncture”, said the 53-year-old visibly moved leader as he left the assembly. Baburam Bhattarai, the number two in the Maoist hierarchy said, “This is a golden dawn of Nepal. We have destroyed the root of feudalism, the monarchy in Nepal. The new administration under Prachanda would work towards economic and social transformation of the people.”
While congratulating Prachanda for entering multi-party democratic politics, the defeated candidate S.B.Deuba warned the rebel leader saying, “We will watch the Maoist activity while they run the government. We would oppose them if they incline towards autocracy.”
Born in a poor farmer family, Prachanda (meaning ‘fierce’ in Hindi and Nepali languages) was a teacher before he turned into a revolutionary. He was driven to politics by extreme poverty and exploitation of rural masses. The Chinese Chairman Mao-Je-Dong and Peru’s shining path inspired him to take the path of armed revolution that ultimately met with success.
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