How former guerrilla leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda returned as Nepal PM

The leader of former communist rebels, Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', on Sunday (December 25) became Nepal's Prime Minister for the third time.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari appointed the CPN-Maoist Centre Chairman as the new PM after Prachanda got support from his ex-opponent KP Sharma Oli and other smaller political parties.

He will take oath as the PM on Monday evening to end the political uncertainty in the country after last month's general elections failed to produce a clear winner.

How he became the PM: Prachanda was appointed as the PM of Nepal as per Article 76 Clause 2 of the Constitution, according to a statement issued by the President's Office.

• The President had called members of the House of Representatives, who can garner a majority with support from two or more parties to submit a claim for the Prime Minister's post. Prachanda had submitted the claim before the deadline given by Bhandari ended on Sunday evening.

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— ☭ Comrade Prachanda (@cmprachanda) December 25, 2022

Support from Oli: Seven parties and three Independent MPs led by former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli of the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) came together for an alliance proposed the name of Prachanda as the Prime Minister

The numbers: Prachanda has the support of 165 lawmakers in the 275-member House of Representatives. This includes CPN-UML with 78, CPN-MC with 32, RSP with 20, RPP with 14, JSP with 12, Janamat with 6 and Nagarik Unmukti Party with 3 members.

• Prachanda, who replaces Sher Bahadur Deuba, will step down in 2025, making way for the UML to take over the office.

Who is Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'? Better known as Prachanda or "the fierce one", Pushpa Kamal Dahal was born in Dhikurpokhari of Kaski district near Pokhara on December 11, 1954.

• He led the decade-long armed struggle from 1996 to 2006 and hid out for years in the jungle. The civil war killed nearly 17,000 people and led to the end of the monarchy.
• The struggle finally ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in November 2006. After CPN-Maoist adopted peaceful politics.
• After the peace deal, Dahal transformed his Maoist revolutionary movement into a political party. He served briefly as the Prime Minister in 2008-2009, and again in 2016-17.

End of coalition with Sher Bahadur Deuba: The new partnership came to power hours after Prachanda walked out of the ruling alliance led by Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress party. Deuba had refused to back Prachanda for the PM's job.

• Deuba and Prachanda had both campaigned in the November election pledging to keep the old alliance intact. The Nepali Congress party will be the main opposition controlling 89 seats.

Political uncertainty in Nepal: Frequently changing governments have caused a political instability in Nepal and have hampered the economic development in the country. Nepal has seen 10 government changes since 2008 after the 239-year-old monarchy was abolished in the Himalayan nation.

Since then, not a single government has completed its full term and none of the parties have got clear majorities in elections.