Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, 55, is expected to stage a comeback to be elected head of the government for the second time nearly four years later Sunday, analysts said.
Result of the voting by 113 members for the leadership of the ruling Nepali Congress parliamentary party or effectively the next prime Minister that began 3 PM will be announced after 5 PM Nepal time (12.15 GMT). The Nepali Congress has a majority in the 205 member House of Representatives.
Either contestant has to garner at least 57 votes to win. Deuba is being challenged by Sushil Koirala, 63, the party’s nominated general secretary and elected member of the central committee; Koirala is nephew of Prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala who resigned unceremoniously Thursday after internal party and opposition pressure calling for his ouster.
Deuba was toppled by two members of his own party who abstained in a crucial parliamentary vote in 1997reducing it to minority status; Deuba never forgave the Girija Prasad Koirala faction in the party for his ouster and this April unsuccessfully challenged the outgoing prime minister in a leadership tussle.
Deuba hails from far west Nepal that has been affected by a Maoist communist insurgency that has claimed more than 1,700 lives and is considered a moderate who has negotiated with the rebels to defuse the kingdom’s worst internal conflict. He was Home Minister in the first elected government headed by Koirala is 1991 following multi-party elections after 32 years.
Deuba’s election is expected to boost changes of talks with insurgents who took a tough stance against Koirala demanding his resignation. Koirala, 76, finally relented and resigned after serious charges of corruption in the infamous Lauda Air deal to lease an aircraft for Royal Nepal Airlines, stalling of parliament by the opposition demanding the PM’s resignation and dramatic Maoist attacks against policemen killing or abducting them.
Koirala’s resignation followed the June 1 carnage at the royal palace in which King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya were killed and military was for the first called to disarm and secure the release of 69 policemen in far west Nepal this month.
Koirala’s resignation came as he lost his power base in parliament following resignation of staunch supporter Deputy Prime Minister and Home Ministrer Ram Chandra Paudel this month demanding a national front of democratic forces to tackle the kingdom’s worsening internal law and internal situation.
Sushil Koirala is a trusted member of the kitchen cabinet of his uncle but does not have a popular base in parliament; he has not been a minister in but is considered incorruptible.