Koirala elected as leader of NC

Kathmandu, Apr 27 : Veteran politician and Prime Minister designate Girija Prasad Koirala was today elected leader of the Nepali Congress legislative party.

Party sources said Mr Koirala was elected unanimously to the post at the meeting of the legislature party presided over by Mr Sushil Koirala, MP, at the party office in the Singh Darbar complex.

The Seven-Party Alliance on Tuesday had chosen Mr Koirala for the post of the Prime Minister after King Gyanendra's decision to reconvene Parliament and restore multi-party democracy in the Himalayan Kingdom.

Mr Koirala, 84, has been the Prime Minister of Nepal four times, from 1991 to 1994, from 1998 to 1999, from 2000 until 2001, and from 2006.

Nepal's Parliament has been dissolved since 2002, and a multi-party government was suspended in February last year when the King declared a state of emergency and assumed absolute powers.

The SPA had spearheaded the agitation for restoration of democracy in Nepal.

UNI