Guwahati: Ram Chandra Poudel of the Nepali Congress has been elected as the third President of Nepal. Poudel won the support of 214 members of parliament and 352 members of the provincial assemblies. Poudel was the common candidate of an eight-party coalition that includes the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Center).
The Electoral Commission of Nepal organised the election which took place on March 9, 2023. A total of 882 people including 332 members of parliament and 550 representatives from each of the seven provincial assemblies cast ballots in the presidential election.
The spokesperson for the Election Commission Shaligram reported that 313 Members of the Federal Parliament and 518 Members of Provincial Assemblies both voted in the presidential election.
After the results were announced, Nepali Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba congratulated Poudel and tweeted, “Hearty congratulations to my friend Ram Candra Poudelji for being elected as the President.”
After the nation’s 2008 republican transition, Nepal has had three presidential elections. Ram Baran Yadav and Bidhya Devi Bhandari served as the two prior presidents.
Poudel was born in 1951 in the Tanahun area of Nepal and has been actively involved in politics for more than three decades. He has previously held the positions of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs.
Poudel underlined the necessity for cooperation among political parties and the value of sound government during his election campaign.
The Nepali Congress and the eight-party coalition are considered as winners as a result of his election to the office of President.
The management of the nation’s political and economic affairs by the ruling party has drawn criticism from both the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Center). They have charged that the administration has repressed opposition and broken its commitments.
It is anticipated that Poudel’s election as president will stabilise Nepal’s political environment and open the door for the opposition parties to make a strong challenge to the ruling party in the 2018 elections.