Nepal's largest party selects PM candidate

Nepal's largest party Nepali Congress (NC) on Sunday selected its president Sushil Koirala as a party's prime ministerial candidate through internal election. Out of 194 party's lawmakers, 105 lawmakers voted for Koirala electing him to be party's Parliamentary Party (PP) leader while his rival party's senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba secured 89 votes. According to party's statute only PP leader of the party is eligible to become the party's candidate for prime ministerial berth. Deuba has already become the prime minister three times after 1990 political change, while Koriala has not taken by ministerial position in his 50 years political career. Three leaders -- Koirala, Deuba and vice-President Ram Chandra Poudel -- were competing for the PP leader. But, Poudel gave up the race after the Koirala agreed to entrust him the post of party' s acting vice-president. In the election, Poudel supported Koirala in defeating the Koirala. NC, a centrist party, which has emerged as a largest party from the November 19, 2013 Constituent Assembly (CA) has staked the claim for the leadership of the unity government. After being elected, Koirala told the reporters that his priority is to form a national consensus government. "We will consult with all parties to form a consensus government which is necessary to promulgate a new constitution within a year," Koirala told media. The government formation process is likely to start soon as the first meeting of parliamentary session of the Constituent Assembly (CA) will begin on Sunday. Though Koirala is eligible to become the prime minister, he has to win the support of second largest party CPN-UML or third largest party UCPN (Maoist) in the parliament. According to the article 38(1) of interim constitution, the first priority would be to form a consensus government. If consensus eludes, president will ask the parliament to elect prime minister through election.