KATHMANDU, March 14: President Ram Chandra Paudel, who was elected as the third president of Nepal on March 9, officially assumed his office on Monday.

Acting Chief Justice Hari Krishna Karki administered the oath of office and secrecy to Poudel at Sheetal Niwas amid a special function on Monday. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Timilsina, ministers and other senior government officials were present on the occasion.

According to his office, President Paudel in his first decision after assuming office appointed Ambassador of Nepal to Egypt Sushil Kumar Lamsal as a non-resident ambassador of Nepal to Morocco as per the recommendation of the government.

President Paudel will now be at Shital Niwas for the next five years. He succeeds President Bidya Devi Bhandari, who shifted to her daughter’s home in Maharajgunj on Monday after serving as president for two terms.

Poudel, who was a common candidate of eight-party alliance that included NC and the CPN (Maoist Center), was elected to the post of the country’s head of the state by securing a total of 33802 votes. Poudel received the vote of 214 lawmakers of the federal parliament and 352 provincial assembly members.

Poudel was backed by eight parties including his own party, NC, while his rival Subas Chandra Nebmang had support of his party UML alone.

The president is elected by an electoral college composed of the members of the federal parliament and the provincial assemblies. It consists of 884 members, including 275 members of the House of Representatives (Lower House), 59 members of the National Assembly (Upper House), and 550 members of seven provincial assemblies. 

The weight of each vote varies according to the Federal law, with a member of the federal parliament's vote carrying the weight of 79 votes, and a member of the provincial assembly's vote carrying 48 votes.

During the oath-taking ceremony, President Poudel had extended an invitation to those who were imprisoned along with him in the course of his democratic struggle. He invited the people who were with him when he was jailed under the Panchayat system as guests for the oath-taking ceremony.

Indu Sharma, Gobinda Kandel and Raghupati Sharma were among those invited to the function. Dil Prasad Sapkota, who used to deliver milk to the Baglung Jail where Paudel was kept was also invited.

Meanwhile, President Paudel resigned from the post of Member of the House of Representatives (HoR).

In a letter sent to the Speaker, President Paudel informed that his political post of HoR member automatically falls vacant in accordance with Article 62(6) of the Constitution of Nepal.

President Poudel expressed thankfulness to the Speaker, the Federal Parliament Secretariat, the voters of Tanahun electoral constituency no 1, the Tanahu district residents and well-wishers for the support and cooperation he has received from them till date.

 
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