Nepal has elected a new president. The parliament yesterday chose communist lawmaker Bidhya Bhandari, a former defence minister, as president. She defeated her opponent Kul Bahadur Gurung by 327 to 214 votes to become the first female ceremonial head of state of this Himalayan country. Bhandari, the vice-chair of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist), replaces Ram Baran Yadav who was elected as the country’s first president in 2008 following the abolition of a 240-year-old Hindu monarchy. The news of Bhandari’s election was widely welcomed. A White House official said the elections are “milestones in Nepal’s democratic development that demonstrate the people of Nepal’s commitment to democracy.
After a prolonged period of crisis and instability over drafting a constitution, Nepal is slowing and firmly returning to normalcy. The rifts over drafting the constitution had paralysed the country and crippled an already sick economy. The problems were compounded by an earthquake in April this year that killed more than 9,000 people and left more than half a million people homeless. According to reports, the massive earthquake had spurred the lawmakers to reach an agreement in June.
The constitution, the first drawn up by elected representatives, is meant to bring peace and ease the country’s transformation to a democratic state after decades of political instability and a 10-year Maoist insurgency. Work on the constitution started in 2008 after Maoist rebels laid down arms and entered politics, winning parliamentary elections and abolishing the monarchy. But bitter disputes over power-sharing between parties stalled the progress. More than 40 people were killed in clashes between police and ethnic minority protesters who claimed the new federal structure envisioned by the constitution will leave them under-represented in the parliament.
But Nepal is bidding goodbye to that turbulent period. As required by the constitution, the parliament this month also elected a new prime minister, K P Sharma Oli. The new government faces the tough challenge of repairing the country’s damaged economy and strengthening unity between disparate groups. The prime minister and the president will have to practise the politics of accommodation and reconciliation. It will have to formulate a cautious foreign policy, with two giant neighbours – India and China – vying for more influence in Kathmandu.
Bhandari, who served as defence minister from 2009 to 2011, was hailed by campaigners for her strong stance in favour of increasing female representation in parliament to 33 percent.
The new president is and experienced and talented politician. She took up politics in her teens, seeking to overturn the absolute monarchy and later married a fellow communist Madan Bhandari•
Nepal has elected a new president. The parliament yesterday chose communist lawmaker Bidhya Bhandari, a former defence minister, as president. She defeated her opponent Kul Bahadur Gurung by 327 to 214 votes to become the first female ceremonial head of state of this Himalayan country. Bhandari, the vice-chair of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist), replaces Ram Baran Yadav who was elected as the country’s first president in 2008 following the abolition of a 240-year-old Hindu monarchy. The news of Bhandari’s election was widely welcomed. A White House official said the elections are “milestones in Nepal’s democratic development that demonstrate the people of Nepal’s commitment to democracy.
After a prolonged period of crisis and instability over drafting a constitution, Nepal is slowing and firmly returning to normalcy. The rifts over drafting the constitution had paralysed the country and crippled an already sick economy. The problems were compounded by an earthquake in April this year that killed more than 9,000 people and left more than half a million people homeless. According to reports, the massive earthquake had spurred the lawmakers to reach an agreement in June.
The constitution, the first drawn up by elected representatives, is meant to bring peace and ease the country’s transformation to a democratic state after decades of political instability and a 10-year Maoist insurgency. Work on the constitution started in 2008 after Maoist rebels laid down arms and entered politics, winning parliamentary elections and abolishing the monarchy. But bitter disputes over power-sharing between parties stalled the progress. More than 40 people were killed in clashes between police and ethnic minority protesters who claimed the new federal structure envisioned by the constitution will leave them under-represented in the parliament.
But Nepal is bidding goodbye to that turbulent period. As required by the constitution, the parliament this month also elected a new prime minister, K P Sharma Oli. The new government faces the tough challenge of repairing the country’s damaged economy and strengthening unity between disparate groups. The prime minister and the president will have to practise the politics of accommodation and reconciliation. It will have to formulate a cautious foreign policy, with two giant neighbours – India and China – vying for more influence in Kathmandu.
Bhandari, who served as defence minister from 2009 to 2011, was hailed by campaigners for her strong stance in favour of increasing female representation in parliament to 33 percent.
The new president is and experienced and talented politician. She took up politics in her teens, seeking to overturn the absolute monarchy and later married a fellow communist Madan Bhandari•
