KATHMANDU, Jan 26: Nepal Communist Party (NCP) leader Agni Prasad Sapkota is all set to be elected speaker of the lower house of parliament unopposed today afternoon.

A meeting of the House of Representatives is scheduled to formally announce his election to the post at 3 pm today as no other lawmaker contested against his candidacy. 

Sapkota, who is accused of in the murder of Arjun Bahadur Lama of Kavrepalanchowk in 2005 after his abduction, is set to be elected unopposed after the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) decided not to field candidate against Sapkota in the hope of getting support from the NCP for its candidate for the post of deputy speaker. 

Following NC’s decision, the parliament secretariat received a single application from Sapkota for the post of Speaker on Tuesday. Former speaker and NCP leader Subas Nembang proposed Sapkota’s candidacy, while another former speaker Onsari Gharti and NCP chief whip Dev Gurung seconded it.

The position of House speaker has been lying vacant since early October last year after the resignation of Krishna Bahadur Mahara from the post following a charge of attempted rape.

 
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