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Three candidates vie to become Nepal's second president

Xinhua, October 27, 2015 Adjust font size:

As Nepali political parties failed to pick a consensual candidate for the presidential post, parties have fielded three names for the post at the Nepal's Parliament on Tuesday.

The final candidates' list for the presidential election was made public on Tuesday afternoon in Nepal. Nepal is set to elect the second president on Wednesday through a parliamentary vote.

Earlier on Tuesday, the parties registered the name of the three candidates for the presidential post, just a day before holding an election to choose the second president in Nepal after the Himalayan country became republic in 2008 ending a 240-year Monarchy.

According to the Parliament Secretariat, ruling parties--the CPN (UML), UCPN (Maoist) and Rashtriya Prajatantra Party Nepal (RPPN)--registered the name of Bidhya Bhandari as their presidential candidate. Bhandari is a communist leader and the incumbent vice-chairperson of the country's second largest party--the CPN (UML).

While the main opposition and largest party in the Parliament--the Nepali Congress, has registered the name of party's general secretary Kul Bahadur Gurung as the presidential candidate.

Similarly, Nepal Workers' Peasants Party has registered name of its leader Narayan Maharjan as the presidential candidate on Tuesday.

According to political observers in Kathmandu, it is highly likely the CPN (UML) candidate Bhandari is set to become the country's new president as she is backed by the third largest party UCPN (Maoist) and fourth largest party RPPN.

Nepal's parliamentarians will begin voting in the presidential election at 11 a.m. local time at the Parliament Building at New Banseswor in Kathmandu to elect the country's second president. The presidential candidate needs a minimum of 299 votes to win the race.

Wednesday's presidential election results will be announced at 5 p.m. local time on the same day, according to the schedule published by the Parliament Secretariat.

The new president will replace incumbent president Dr Ram Baran Yadav who was appointed for the post on July 23, 2008 as the country's first head of the state after Nepal became federal democratic republic.

Earlier on Oct. 11, Nepal had elected KP Sharma Oli as the new prime minister after it promulgated a new constitution on Sept. 20 last month.

As per Article 297 of Nepal's Constitution 2015, the election of the state heads should be held within a month of commencement of the parliamentary session.

The first House session was held on Oct. 2 right after the promulgation of new constitution on Sept. 20, which means the country should get a new president within the end of October. Endit