Nepali Congress leader Deuba elected PM for fourth time

Sher Bahadur Deuba, the head of the centrist Nepali Congress party, won election as the Himalayan nation’s new prime minister on Tuesday, days after his Maoist predecessor quit under a power sharing deal. Deuba has previously served three times as prime minister, in 1995-1997, 2001-2002 and 2004-2005. Nepal’s last monarch King Gyanendra called him incompetent and fired him in 2002 for failing to contain a Maoist insurgency and hold elections. He was later reinstated only to be sacked again in 2005, triggering political unrest that toppled the 239-year-old monarchy three years later. Parliament Speaker Onsari Gharti said the 70-year-old Deuba won 388 votes of the 558 cast in the 593-member parliament to head the country’s 10th government in as many years. Deuba’s immediate task is to complete the two-phase local elections on June 28, a precondition for holding a national election by the end of the year. The first phase of local polls, in which less than half the country voted, was in mid-May. Deuba was supported by the Maoist Centre party of his former foe and predecessor Prachanda, and other smaller groups. The two leaders have struck an unlikely power-sharing deal which is expected to hold until the national elections.