In Nepal, the former communist rebel leader, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, has surprisingly been appointed as the new prime minister. This was announced by the office of President Bidhya Devi Bhandari today.
Dahal is expected to take his oath of office earlier this week, local media reported. This marks the third time that the 68-year-old, also known as Prachanda (“impetuous”), will become the country’s prime minister.
Dahal has the support of 169 of the 275 MPs in Parliament, the Kathmandu Post reported. Formally, he still has to survive a vote of confidence in parliament, which proves that he has a majority there. Dahal’s appointment came as a surprise as his Maoist CPN party finished third in November’s parliamentary elections – with 32 out of 275 seats. He is now supported by several parties and independent candidates.