I. http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/1-top-story/7749-dahal-defeated.html
<http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/1-top-story/7749-dahal-defeated.html>Parliament fails to elect Prime Minister; re-elections on FridayWednesday, 21 July 2010 The legislature parliament has failed to elect a new Prime Minister at the elections held Wednesday after motions filed by Nepali Congress and Unified CPN (Maoist) got rejected and CPN (UML) withdrew its motion. Unified CPN (Maoist) had fielded its chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Nepali Congress had fielded its vice president and parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Poudel and CPN (UML) had fielded its chairman Jhala Nath Khanal for the prime ministerial race. At the voting that took place Wednesday evening, Maoist candidate Dahal failed to gain majority as only 242 lawmakers out 597 present at the House voted for him. 114 lawmakers voted against him and 236 lawmakers stayed neutral. Likewise, NC candidate also failed to get majority as he secured only 124 votes in his favour. 235 lawmakers voted against him and 228 lawmakers stayed neutral. CPN (UML) withdrew its candidate Jhala Nath Khanal from the prime ministerial race after its efforts to secure a two-thirds majority at the parliament failed. The party had fielded Khanal as a candidate for the post of the Prime Minister only if two-thirds majority is assured before the votings. The Maoists had also pledged to support Khanal if he managed to secure a two-thirds majority. As today's elections failed to elect a new Prime Minister, Speaker of the legislature parliament announced that the re-elections to the post of PM would take place on Friday. He has summoned the next meeting of the House at 1 pm, Friday. The schedule for the elections will be published later. II. http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=PM+Election:+Majority+proves+elusive+for+Big+3+trio&NewsID=250471 PM Election: Majority proves elusive for Big 3 trio ARUN RAI & KESHAV P. KOIRALA *2010-07-21 11:12 PM* [image: Print This News]<http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/printNepaliNews.php?id=250471> KATHMANDU: The voting session of the Constituent Assembly came to an end Wednesday evening, with neither of the two candidates from UCPN-Maoist and Nepali Congress being able to secure a majority in the 601-seat parliament and CPN-UML deciding to withdraw from the voting. Put to vote, UCPN-Maoist candidate Pushpa Kamal Dahal secured 242 votes for his candidacy and 140 votes against it. The remaining 236 lawmakers stayed neutral. NC’s Ram Chandra Poudel bagged124 votes for his candidacy while 235 were cast against him. The other 397 lawmakers opted to remain neutral. UML’s Jhala Nath Khanal pulled out of the running after the UML, having appeared unlikely to garner its earlier stated two-thirds majority. Khanal, previously believing that Prachanda would withdraw his candidacy, had joined the prime ministerial race with a hope to garner a two-thirds majority (401 votes) with the support from Maoists and other parties. Announcing the results, Speaker Subas Nembang said that none of the proposals failed to garner mandatory simple majority and thus were rejected, while the UML proposal did not need to be put to vote as the party withdrew it. The House was holding the election as per the Arcticle 38 (2) of Interim Constitution to pick up the country's 34th prime minister. UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, also the Prime Minister in the incumbent caretaker government, annoucing his party's withdrawal from prime ministerial race at the CA hall in New Baneshwor on Wednesday, July 21, 2010. Photo: THT Online /Navesh Chitrakar Most of the fringe parties including the Madhes-based ones stayed neutral in the voting. Exiting from the House, NC candidate Ram Chandra Poudel expressed his high optimism about winning the election in the run-off election since he claimed that most of the lawmakers staying neutral to his candidacy belong to the ruling coalition and therefore he would definitely enjoy their support next time. The House meeting has been called at 1 p.m. on Friday afternoon. He also said this is an opportunity for the Maoists to smoothen their relations by lending their support to him, which he said would be instrumental in resolving the pending task of peace process and constitution drafting. Speaking to journalists, UML chairman Khanal said it was purely due to their stress on the primacy of consensus government that his party decided to withdraw from the running. He claimed that a simple majority would not have been a big deal for them as they already had 391 signatures from lawmakers supporting his candidacy. Khanal also ruled out his party’s possible involvement in any negotiation including such an election in the future that does not acknowledge the spirit of consensus. He said the UML would boycott the voting in the run-off election. UCPN-Maoist leader Post Bahadur Bogati expressed his party’s optimism about the positive result in the run-off, as it expects support from Madhes based parties with whom the Maoist party as he claimed share common agenda on the issues of Madhes. Bogati, however, said his party will determine the actual course of action after holding consultations with other political parties. The next meeting of the House is scheduled for July 23 at 1 p.m. The big shots of three major parties--Ram Chandra Paudel of the Nepali Congress, Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) of the Maoists and Jhala Nath Khanal of the CPN-UML filed their nominations for the post on July 20, the closing date for filing nominations that was opened a day earlier on July 19. NC's prime ministerial candidate Ram Chandra Paudel looks back at his party's lawmakers prior to voting session, at CA hall in Baneshwor in Kathmandu, July 21, 2010. (Navesh Chitrakar). UCPN-Maoist candidate Prachanda was proposed by Dr. Baburam Bhattarai and seconded by Narayankaji Shrestha, while Nepali Congress candidate Ram Chandra Paudel ‘s name was put forth by its senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba and seconded by party general secretary Kul Bahadur Gurung. Likewise, UML candidate Jhalanath Khanal was proposed by UML leader and Prime Minister of the incumbent caretaker government, Madhav Kumar Nepal, and seconded by party general secretary Bishnu Paudel. All the proposers of the three candidates were the aspirants for the premiership and their close compeititors within the respective parties. Today’s election for the Prime Minister had become imminent after political parties failed to forge an agreement to form a national consensus government even within the extended deadline that expired July 12. Following the resignation of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar from his post on June 30, President Ram Baran Yadav the next day had asked the parties to form a national consensus government within seven days. Unable to meet the deadline, 25 political parties, including the big three requested the state head on July 7 to extend the timeframe by five more days, with the parties slipping the deadline yet another time on July 12. House session on Friday Meanwhile, Speaker Nembang has called the House session at 1 p.m. Friday, July 23. Now, with the Maoist and NC candidates in the race for the hot seat, the Constituent Assembly's Business Advisory Committee will finalise the new schedule of the run-off election. Timeline June 30: PM Nepal resigns from his post July 1: President Ram Baran Yadav asks parties to form consensus government within 7 days July 7: President Ram Baran Yadav extends the deadline by 5 more days July 12: Parties fail to form consensus government for the second time July 19: Filing for nomination for PM opens July 20: UCPN-Maoist, UML and NC file their nominations July 21: House takes vote on nominees for PM -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. 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