Nepal's PM resigns to honour political deal
Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, aka Prachanda, resigned from his post after a televised address to the nation. He resigned just 9 months after coming to power He resigned so that he could make way for Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba based on a political agreement. President Bidhya Devi Bhandari is expected to ask Parliament to elect a new leader by consensus.
Prachanda outlines his government's achievements
Prachanda told people that his stint in office was a great success. He was particularly thankful that Nepal successfully conducted local body elections for the first time in 20 years. He said it was symbolic that Nepal's secular republic was formally institutionalized.
Why did he resign?
In August 2016, an agreement was reached between Nepal's ruling parties, the Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN (Maoist Centre). As per the agreement, Prachanda of the CPN and Sher Bahadur Deuba of the NC would rule on a rotational basis until the Parliamentary elections in February 2018. Prachanda was to oversee local body elections, while Deuba will hold the provincial and central elections.
Can there be a leadership crisis?
Nepal's president has given 7 days for the parliament to elect a consensus candidate. Analysts say that despite Deuba being the favourite, a consensus in Parliament is unlikely. In that event, the president asked the majority in the house to elect the new leader.
