Maoist leader Prachanda is the Nepal's new prime minister

Parliament voted him this morning. His victory was a foregone conclusion, since he was the only candidate in the running. He promised to resolve the issue of minorities and give tribal Madhesi greater independence

Kathmandu (AsiaNews) - In a predictable vote Nepal's parliament this morning elected a new prime minister. Pushpa Kamal Dahal also known as "Prachanda", former prime minister and leader of the Maoists. He was the only candidate nominated to succeed the outgoing Prime Minister P K Sharma Oli, forced to resign last week due to a motion of no confidence presented by Prachanda and his allies.

Immediately after the election, he sppeared in public and promised to protect and promote the rights of minorities and to resolve once and for all the question of the Terai, the region where the tribal Madhesi have been protesting for months against the recent Constitution which deprives them of an autonomous region.

Prachanda, leader of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center, won the premiership with 363 votes out of a total of 573 voters (595 Mps in Parliament). His candidacy was supported by 16 political parties, including the Nepali Congress and all regional parties representing the minority madhese; the only opposition came from the party of the out going prime minister, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), and the Hindus.

The Maoists, allies of the government of former prime minister, have begun to chip away at their support immediately after the first complaints against the Maoist cadres gathered by the Commission that is investigating war crimes. Oli's attempts to avert the collapse of the government were fruitless, not even when he signed an amnesty for war crimes.

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