<p>The 56-year-old CPN-UML leader, who has the backing of 351 lawmakers in the 601-member Constituent Assembly, was elected unopposed with the support of a 22-party alliance. The Maoists boycotted voting and said they will not join the government.<br /><br />“He (Nepal) has been elected unopposed as the new prime minister of the federal democratic republic of Nepal,” Speaker Subash Nemwang announced.<br /><br />The president will administer oath to Nepal, the second elected premier of the republic, on Sunday, sources said.<br /><br />Amid cheers by his supporters, who offered him flowers, Nepal told reporters that he has been given “serious responsibilities” and will run the government “by forging cooperation and understanding with all sides.”<br /><br />Nepal will replace Maoist chief Prachanda who resigned as premier on May 4 after differences with President Ram Baran Yadav on the issue of sacking of army chief Gen Rukmangad Katawal. The Maoists, whose nearly nine-month old government collapsed after CPN-UML withdrew support, had blocked Parliament for weeks before allowing the <br />government formation. Prachanda was conspicuous by his absence in Parliament today. <br /><br />‘Foreign forces’<br /><br />Maoist leader Narayankaji Shrestha “Prakash”, who took part in the debate in Parliament, levelled the oft-repeated allegation that “foreign expansionist forces” and “reactionary forces” worked to dislodge the Maoists.<br /><br />“We will not run away from the responsibility of the peace process and drafting the new constitution,” he said. Maoist lawmakers boycotted the voting process as did two other small parties — CPN-Unified and Nepal Janatadal.<br /><br />As prime minister, Nepal faces a series of challenges — taking the peace process forward, rewriting the statute, consolidating democracy in the country that abolished its 240-year monarchy last year to become a republic and tackling the Maoists, sulking after being pushed out of power.<br /><br />General secretary of the CPN-UML from 1993 to 2008, Nepal is the third communist Prime Minister of Nepal after late Manmohan Singh and Prachanda. He has been a key figure in Nepal’s political scene for over a decade and took part in the 2005 people’s movement that ended the King’s absolute rule.<br /><br />Nepal, whose family migrated from Bihar to Nepal over 200 years ago and who had part of his education in India, was also a former deputy prime minister in a nine-month government led by the CPN-UML in 1994-95. He resigned as CPN-UML general secretary after the party came third in April 2008 Constituent Assembly and he himself suffered defeat at the hustings. Nepal was later nominated as CA member under proportional representation system. <br /><br />The Cabinet will be formed with the inclusion of all major political parties within a week, UML leaders said.</p>
<p>The 56-year-old CPN-UML leader, who has the backing of 351 lawmakers in the 601-member Constituent Assembly, was elected unopposed with the support of a 22-party alliance. The Maoists boycotted voting and said they will not join the government.<br /><br />“He (Nepal) has been elected unopposed as the new prime minister of the federal democratic republic of Nepal,” Speaker Subash Nemwang announced.<br /><br />The president will administer oath to Nepal, the second elected premier of the republic, on Sunday, sources said.<br /><br />Amid cheers by his supporters, who offered him flowers, Nepal told reporters that he has been given “serious responsibilities” and will run the government “by forging cooperation and understanding with all sides.”<br /><br />Nepal will replace Maoist chief Prachanda who resigned as premier on May 4 after differences with President Ram Baran Yadav on the issue of sacking of army chief Gen Rukmangad Katawal. The Maoists, whose nearly nine-month old government collapsed after CPN-UML withdrew support, had blocked Parliament for weeks before allowing the <br />government formation. Prachanda was conspicuous by his absence in Parliament today. <br /><br />‘Foreign forces’<br /><br />Maoist leader Narayankaji Shrestha “Prakash”, who took part in the debate in Parliament, levelled the oft-repeated allegation that “foreign expansionist forces” and “reactionary forces” worked to dislodge the Maoists.<br /><br />“We will not run away from the responsibility of the peace process and drafting the new constitution,” he said. Maoist lawmakers boycotted the voting process as did two other small parties — CPN-Unified and Nepal Janatadal.<br /><br />As prime minister, Nepal faces a series of challenges — taking the peace process forward, rewriting the statute, consolidating democracy in the country that abolished its 240-year monarchy last year to become a republic and tackling the Maoists, sulking after being pushed out of power.<br /><br />General secretary of the CPN-UML from 1993 to 2008, Nepal is the third communist Prime Minister of Nepal after late Manmohan Singh and Prachanda. He has been a key figure in Nepal’s political scene for over a decade and took part in the 2005 people’s movement that ended the King’s absolute rule.<br /><br />Nepal, whose family migrated from Bihar to Nepal over 200 years ago and who had part of his education in India, was also a former deputy prime minister in a nine-month government led by the CPN-UML in 1994-95. He resigned as CPN-UML general secretary after the party came third in April 2008 Constituent Assembly and he himself suffered defeat at the hustings. Nepal was later nominated as CA member under proportional representation system. <br /><br />The Cabinet will be formed with the inclusion of all major political parties within a week, UML leaders said.</p>