Lawmakers in Nepal on Thursday elected the Nepali Congress Party's Ram Chandra Paudel as the third president of the Himalayan state. He received 64 percent of the total votes (566 of the 882), leading to an easy win against his rival Subas Chandra Nebmang of the Communist Party of Nepal (UML).
Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, aka "Prachanda," backed Paudel. After this, a rift erupted in the governing coalition — Prachanda's Maoist Center and the Communist Party of Nepal (UML), led by former Prime Minister K.P. Oli.
The two parties ended their two-month-long coalition after Prachanda's party refused to support Oli's favorite Nebmang for the presidential post.
In the last week of February, eight CPN-UML ministers have resigned, including Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Poudyal as well as Foreign Minister Bimala Rai Poudyal.
Why President Election Was High-Pitched
The current political situation in Nepal, a country of 30 million, is regarded as "unstable," as about 10 governments have changed since the Himalayan nation became a republic by abolishing its 239-year-old monarchy in 2008.
The president, who replaced the king, is the head of the state and has the power to authenticate Cabinet decisions.
Addressing the issue, Santosh Sharma Poudel, co-founder of the Nepal Institute for Policy Research (NIPoRe), told Sputnik that in the current political situation, the role of the president in Nepal is more than just a "ceremonial post."
The current president, Bidya Devi Bhandari, who came from Oli's party, has often acted according to her party line by being overly supportive of Oli during her five-year tenure. She dissolved the parliament twice, allegedly at Oli's behest. Despite holding the post, she has refused to ratify the Citizenship Bill, which both Houses of Parliament passed.
On another occasion, in 2017, she took three weeks to clear the ordinance on the Medical Education Bill. Similarly, in 2018, she didn't clear the names of appointed members of the national assembly and waited until a government change.
"For the appointment of president, the candidate just needs to prove majority in total vote cast. However, to impeach the president, 2/3 votes of the House is needed, which in the current situation no coalition can get," said Santosh.
"In the current situation, the post is virtually the permanent post for five years," he added.
Santosh also expressed his dissatisfaction with Bhandari's role, saying she has often misused her power.
"Paudel should keep national interest at the core and act like president of all," Madhav Kumar Nepal, chairman of the CPM (Unified Socialist), reportedly said. Nepal's party supported Paudel's candidacy.
Newly elected Nepali President Bidhya Bhandari (R) signs a document as Vice President Nanda Kishor Pun looks on after the swearing-in ceremony on at the Presidential residence in Kathmandu on March 14, 2018.
© AFP 2023 PRAKASH MATHEMA
Meanwhile, soon after the result was announced, Paudel, while speaking with a reporter on Thursday, said: "I'm aware of the people's concern. I'll work to meet their expectations. Effective implementation of the constitution is my concern and priority."
"I'll work for the strengthening of democracy and federal, secular and republic Nepal and make an honest effort to protect the spirit of the constitution," the newly elected president added.
Santosh said that the people and opposition expect less drama from Ram Chandra Paudel.
"The less we [have] president intervention in government bills, the better it is. And Paudel is not just senior politician, but knows how the government functions. So far, he has cordial relations with most of the politicians in the government. Hence, I expect his tenure would be better."
Who is Ram Chandra Paudel
Born on October 14, 1944 in Bahunpokhari to a middle class farmer family, he joined student politics at 16 years of age. In 1970, he joined the Nepali Congress Party.
Paudel, who holds a master's degree in arts with the Nepali language as the main subject, has penned many books on democracy, socialism, and agriculture.
In his early political career, he actively participated in many social movements — Satyagraha (civil disobedience) in 1985, the People's Movement Part I in 1990, and the People's Movement Part II in 2006.
As per local media reports, he spent about 12 years in jail during his fight against the autocratic Panchayat (village council) regime.
Nepal's newly appointed prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, left, looks on as his deputies, from right, Rabi Lamichhane, Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Bishnu Paudel are being sworn in during a ceremony at the President House during a ceremony in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Dec. 26, 2022.
© AP Photo / Niranjan Shrestha
After first being elected as parliamentarian in 1991 from the Tanhu district, Paudel has consecutively won six times since.
He was elected as deputy prime minister (1999-2002), speaker of the House (1998-2002), and has also held several ministerial posts in different governments, including minister for local development and agriculture minister.
He has served as speaker, deputy prime minister, and minister for home, information, and communication. Paudel was also in charge of the main opposition in parliament from 2008 to 2013.
In 2020, he was honored with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun by Japan for his role in strengthening Nepal-Japan ties.