KATHMANDU: Khadga Prasad Oli gets past Sushil Koirala to win premiership in Nepal parliament. Oli faces a number of daunting challenges to tackle as a prime minister.
He got 338 votes out of the 597-member chamber. Oli told cheering supporters in parliament that he saw his appointment as an honour and a challenge.
The new leader will have to handle continuing protests over a new constitution, the rebuilding of the country after April’s devastating earthquake and a fuel shortage.
Oli, who was backed by a coalition of royalists, Maoists and centrists, is the first prime minister to be elected under the new constitution, defeating the previous prime minister, Sushil Koirala.
More than four decades ago Khadga Prasad Oli was part of a short-lived, violent Communist uprising. However, today he is a polarising figure within Nepal, which itself is deeply split on whether the new constitution is democratic enough.
