The Nepal Parliament failed to elect a new Prime Minister in its eighth attempt on Sunday,even though Maoist leader Prachanda,one of the two candidates in the fray,withdrew. After the decision of the Central committee of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal- Maoists (UCPN-M) two weeks ago,party leader Baburam Bhattarai on Sunday sought the permission of the House to withdraw Prachandas candidature,which the House granted. Ramchandra Poudel of the Nepali Congress is the only candidate left in the contest. Poudel secured 116 votes in his favour,yet the speaker Subhash Nemwang declared that the proposal for his election was defeated. Nepals electoral system requires that a candidate should secure at least 50 per cent of the total effective strength of the House to be elected. While almost all the parties either stayed neutral or boycotted the proceedings,the Nepali Congress,the second largest party in the House,refused to withdraw its candidate and look for one based on consensus. The Nepali Congress has said that as it has played a vital role in the peace process it has a right to lead the government. However,there are indications that the Nepali Congress,which is in the midst of its organisational elections,will review recent political developments and will most likely withdraw Poudels candidature after the new working committee meets. The Parliament has been unsuccessfully engaged in the process of electing a new Prime Minister for nearly three months now since Madhav Kumar Nepal resigned on the 1st of July.
