Nepalese lawmakers vote to elect new President
The Hindu
Ram Chandra Poudel of the Nepali Congress and Subash Chandra Nembang of the CPN-UML are vying for the top post.
Nepalese lawmakers on March 9 began voting to elect a new President, the outcome of which could impact the stability of the government headed by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda".
Ram Chandra Poudel of the Nepali Congress and Subash Chandra Nembang of the CPN-UML are vying for the top post.
The voting started at 10 am local time at the New Baneshwar-based Parliament building here.
The tenure of the current President, Bidya Devi Bhandari, will end on March 12.
The Election Commission will begin counting votes at 4 pm and declare the results by 7 pm.
Nepal's Election Commission said on March 8 that all preparations for the big-ticket election have been completed.
The Presidential election is a face-off between two former Speakers of the House of Representatives — Mr. Paudel, a candidate backed by the eight-party alliance led by Prime Minister Prachanda, and CPN-UML's Mr. Nembang.