Former Maoist Insurgent, ‘Prachanda’ To Become Nepal's New Prime Minister

A former Maoist guerrilla who led a decade-long insurgency against Nepal's Hindu monarchy will take over as prime minister in alliance with the main opposition party after last month's election resulted in a hung parliament, officials said on Sunday.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal, still known as Prachanda, which means “terrible” or “fierce” will lead the new government for the first half of the five-year term, with the support of the opposition Communist Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML) party and some smaller groups.

According to local media, Prachanda will step down in 2025, allowing the UML to take over the office.

“This is comprehension. The distribution of key other posts and ministries remains to be worked out after a meeting of the new coalition,” Dev Gurung, the general secretary of Prachanda's Maoist Centre party, told Reuters.

Prachanda, according to Gurung, would soon go to President Bidhya Devi Bhandari to stake his claim for the prime ministership.

More than a month after the elections, UML general secretary Shankar Pokhrel said the new agreement “has opened the way” for the formation of a new government.

The new coalition was formed after Prachanda, 68, unexpectedly left the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress party. Deuba refused to support Prachanda for the position of Prime Minister.

Prachanda's Maoist Centre party won 32 seats in the House of Representatives, which has 275 members. The UML has 78 seats and the remaining 138 seats will be controlled by smaller groups.

Since 2008, when the 239-year-old monarchy was abolished, Nepal has gone through ten government changes.