Nepal is holding an election for the chairman of the National Assembly today (Tuesday)
CPN (Maoist Center) lawmaker Narayan Dahal and Nepali Congress lawmaker Yubaraj Sharma are vying for the post of the National Assembly chairperson.
CPN (Maoist Center) has fielded lawmaker Dahal for the coveted post, representing the new ruling alliance while Sharma has been fielded by the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC).
Maoist Center’s Gopi Bahadur Sarki Achhami proposed Dahal as the candidate for the post of chairman while his proposal was seconded by CPN (UML)’s Debendra Dahal, CPN (Unified Socialist)’s Beduram Bhusal and Janata Samajbadi Party’s Mohammad Khalid.
Similarly, NC’s Ananda Prasad Dhungana proposed Sharma as the candidate for the post and his proposal was seconded by NC leader Kiran Babu Shrestha and Shekhar Kumar Singh of Loktantrik Samajbadi Party.
Earlier, when the seven-party alliance was intact, the NC was making preparations to field Krishna Prasad Sitaula for the post but later nominated Sharma following the dissolution of the previous alliance.
Both the Maoist Center and the NC claimed for the post. After both parties did not budge from their stances, the Maoist Center formed a new coalition with the CPN (UML) with the understanding that the post of the National Assembly chairman would go to the Maoist Center. Dahal is the brother of Prime Minister Prachanda.
Dahal is poised to take the helm of the National Assembly given the strength of the newly formed coalition.
The Maoist Center, UML, CPN (Unified Socialist), and Janata Samajbadi Party have 39 lawmakers. A total of 29 lawmakers are required to win the elections. Similarly, the NC has 16 lawmakers.
Election process for NA chair
The meeting of the House of Representatives is taking place at 11:09 am. According to the schedule unveiled by the Federal Parliament Secretariat, Ananda Prasad Dhungana, a member of the National Assembly, will float a proposal to the Assembly, that Yubaraj Sharma should be elected as the chairman of the National Assembly.
Similarly, Gopi Bahadur Sarki Achhami, another member of the National Assembly, will present a proposal to the Assembly that Narayan Dahal should be elected as the chairman of the National Assembly.
Then Vice Chairman Urmila Aryal, who will chair the meeting, will present both the proposals to the meeting for a decision.
Following the submission of the proposals by the chairperson, those who seconded the proposals while filing nominations will deliver their views in the Assembly.
The polls on the proposals are divided based on the signatures of the members of the National Assembly, as per the National Assembly election regulatioins. The candidate who garners a simple majority will become the next chairman.
The post of the National Assembly chairman is lying vacant after former chairman Ganesh Timalsina's six-year term expired on March 3. Timalsina was a UML lawmaker.
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