Ram Chandra Paudel becomes Nepal President

Kathmandu: In Nepal, Ram Chandra Paudel has become the new President, winning 33,802 votes over his rival Subash Chandra Nembwang's 15,518 votes, Asian News International reported citing Nepal's Election Commission.

The EC said that 313 members of the federal parliament voted in the poll, along with 518 from the Province assemblies, to elect the President. The poll took place at Nepal's parliament building in New Baneshwar, Kathmandu. The EC had created two polling stations for the parliamentarians and the Province Assembly members at the Hall.

Legislators from all provinces came to Kathmandu for the poll, where a total of 884 members made up the Electoral College. These include 275 members of the House of Representatives, 59 of the National Assembly and 550 of the seven provincial assemblies.

The Electoral College will have a total weightage of 52,786 votes if no seat in the federal parliament and provincial assembly stay vacant. The weightage of a vote of the federal parliament lawmaker is 79, while the Provincial Assembly member is 48.

Eight parties supported Ram Chandra Paudel, the Nepali Congress leader, while independent lawmakers supported Subhash Chandra Nembang.

ANI reported that the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) has not supported or proposed any candidate for President, despite both the candidates meeting RPP chairman Rajendra Lingden and other office-bearers at RPP's office and seeking their votes. The party had informed that it would abstain from voting.

The party made such a decision because it stays rooted in its core agenda, which is the restoration of the monarchy. Its central working committee confirmed its decision to stay out of the polls after a meeting on Wednesday.

RPP spokesperson Mohan Shrestha had said that it had been unanimously decided that the party would not participate but stay neutral in the poll.