AMN / Kathmandu
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal today announced his resignation during his address to the nation, paving the way for Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba to take over as per an understanding reached between the two leaders in August last year.
Mr Prachanda, who made the TV broadcast from his office Singhdurbar, said that he would now go to the President’s office to submit his papers today itself.
It was decided by the ruling parties—Nepali Congress and Communist Party of Nepal(Maoist Centre)last year that Prachanda would quit after the completion of the local bodies elections, and remaining provincial and central elections would be held under Deuba.
The government is to be run on a rotational basis till elections to Parliament are held in February next year.
Local elections were held in the country after a gap of about 20 years as due to emergency, polls could not be conducted.
In August last year, Daha, who is also the chairman of CPN (Maoist Centre), had reached an understanding with the Nepali Congress that he would step down from PM’s post and hand over the government leadership to NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba after nine months.
It was Dahal’s second stint as the Prime Minister.
Dahal was elected as the 39th prime minister of the country for the second time after forging alliance with the Nepali Congress on August 3, 2016.
Dahal became Prime Minister for the first time in August 2008 after his party emerged as the largest political party from the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections in the same year.
After the then President Ram Baran Yadav turned down the Cabinet decision to remove the then army chief Rookmangud Katawal and ordered Katawal to remain in the office, Dahal resigned from the top post of government on May 4, 2009.
Dahal had defeated NC leader Deuba with a wide margin eight years ago.