Parliament fails to elect new PM yet again

KATHMANDU, Sept 5: The sixth round of voting at the legislature-parliament failed to elect a new prime minister on Sunday, with both the UCPN-Maoist (UCPN-M) and Nepali Congress (NC) prime ministerial candidates -- Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Ram Chandra Poudel respectively -- falling short of a majority in the current 599-member House.



Of the 504 lawmakers present, 240 voted in favor of Dahal and 101 against him, while 163 remained neutral. [break]



Similarly, of the 536 members present in the second voting session, 122 voted for NC candidate Poudel, 242 against him, while 172 stayed neutral.



Leaders of Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (MPRF), which has 25 votes, boycotted the poll saying they would cast votes in the seventh round.



The seventh round of voting will be held on Tuesday, but the parties are not yet sure if it would yield any result.



Maoist vice-chairman Narayankaji Shrestha said that the political parties should think wisely and elect a new prime minister as the country has been left in the hands of a caretaker government for so long. “It´s a time for the political parties to think wisely and judiciously and cast their votes to elect a new prime minister,” he said.







Maoist politburo member Shakti Basnet stated the boycott by MPRF of voting on Sunday and their decision to cast votes in the next round is a new political development in favor of the Maoists. “It´s like throwing a pebble in a clam pond. But we are not in a position to say anything. We shall hold talks with the political parties,” said Basnet.

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