Prachanda to be Nepal's Prime Minister on Aug 15

Kathmandu, Aug 15: Maoists chairman Prachanda will be elected on Friday, Aug 15 as the Prime Minister of Nepal at the Constituent Assembly (CA) meeting being held at the International Convention Centre, the CA venue. The Nepali Congress has fielded fomer Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba for the post. Nepali Congress has only 112 seats in the 601 CA. The Maoists, UML, MJF and other small parties will take nearly two third majority.

The victory of the former rebel leader is possible after the second biggest Communist Party and the thrid largest party in the CA, the UML, and the fourth largest MJF among others formed an alliance to form the new government under the leadership of the Maoist.

All major parties except the Nepali Congress, the second largest party in the CA, will be represented in the new government formed after the CA polls held in April after the peace deal with parliamentary parties and the Maoists in 2006.

Nepali Congress had said they would not participate in the government unless the defence ministry portfolio is not allocated saying that the Maoists cannot be given the responsibility of the national army until it has its own combatants.

There are nearly 20,000 former rebel combatants living in various UN monitored camps across the country.

UNI