The Election Commission (EC) submitted the election report of the General Election to the President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Thursday.
The report was submitted to the President almost three weeks after the voting was completed.
Now President Bhandari is to start the process of forming a new government within the next few days.
The next government is certain to be formed pursuant to Article 76 (2) of the Constitution as none of the political parties could command a clear majority in November 20 elections.
According to constitutional provisions, the Prime Minister must be appointed within 30 days of the announcement of the final voting results of the House of Representatives (HoR).
Although neither of the parties secured a comfortable majority in the election, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is preparing to form a government by inducting two parties – Nagarik Unmukti Party and Janamat Party -- that rose from the election into the ruling coalition.
However, the parties in the ruling coalition are yet to touch upon the issue of power sharing. Nonetheless, there is general interest on who would be the next president.
Senior Nepali Congress (NC) leader Ram Chandra Poudel, who on many occasions expressed desire to be the Prime Minister, however, would alternatively settle for the presidential post to manage power sharing.
While Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is striving to form government with the help of parties in the ruling coalition, he is also looking ways to retain the presidential post for the NC.
According to a source close to Baluwatar, Deuba is mulling over making such person as president who belongs to the NC and is not a member of the House of Representatives. According to sources, there is a possibility that Deuba can recommend former NC general secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula to be the president.
If things go as planned as per Deuba's wishes, it is said that the NC will propose one of the names of senior leader Poudel and Situla as the president. However, Baluwatar has been saying that time is still not ripe to name the presidential candidate yet.
"There has been no discussion regarding whom to make president till Wednesday evening," a source from Prime Minister Deuba's Secretariat told Nepalkhabar. "Firstly, there needs to be deal for power sharing among the ruling coalition. Once a deal is struck, then question arises whom to recommend to which posts."
If the NC does not get the presidential post in course of power sharing, one of former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Dr. Baburam Bhattarai has been viewed as prospective future president. Chairman of CPN (Maoist Center) Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' is inclined to propose Bhattarai as the president owing to all help Bhattarai extended to the Maoist chair.
However, source claimed that Bhattarai had not been promised the presidential post even if the Maoist Center gets the post as share. A source close to Bhattarai said he was not in the race to be president.
"It might be an analysis that some things might be easy if Dr. Bhattarai were to be the president. But, he really isn't interested in that post. He has different plans," said the source.
In another scenario floated in political circle, CPN (Unified Socialist) Chair Madhav Kumar Nepal could alternately be the president if the NC and the Maoist Center agree. If Nepal is to be the president, then the NC and the Maoist Center would have to share Prime Minister and Speaker of the HoR.
A central member of the United Socialist, however, claimed that an agreement has already been reached in the ruling coalition to make Jhala Nath Khanal the president.
"Formerly, the coalition has developed an understanding in the name of Comrade Jhalnath," he told Nepalkhabar, "If the previous agreement is implemented, he is the one. In other cases, Chair Nepal could also be the president."
Understanding that as the NC succeeded in becoming the largest party in the parliament through the elections and is not likely to leave the post of the Prime Minister, many leaders within the Maoist Center are also harbor interest to be the president.
Sensing the possibility of the Maoist Center getting the presidential post as the post of Prime Minister is hard to come by, Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun, outgoing Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota and former Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara have expressed their aspirations for the Head of State from the party.
Vice President Pun is currently serving his second term and is not eligible for the same post for the third time, therefore, he aspires to be the president.
Similarly, outgoing Speaker Sapkota is Prachanda's confidante and is one of those leaders availing opportunities within the party. He was elected lawmaker in 2064 BS, 2070 BS and 2074 BS but did not vie in the recently concluded election. Therefore, party leaders are of the view that Prachanda might bestow Sapkota with special responsibility.
Another Maoist Center leader Mahara abstained from contesting the election from Dang 2 at the eleventh hour and was nominated under the proportional representative (PR) category. However, his name was withdrawn even from the PR category. He had led the party through the first Constituent Assembly and had served as Minister of Communications in the Girija Prasad Koirala led government in 2063 BS.
Mahara is also one of those leaders who has often availed several position of profit from the party.
