The new republic of Nepal failed to elect its first president on Saturday when none of the three candidates was able to muster the majority needed to open the way to the formation of a new government.
Nepal has been in political limbo since April, when former Maoist rebels won an historic election that left them short of a parliamentary majority, but enabled them to form a special assembly that abolished the 239-year-old monarchy.
The election of a president, a ceremonial post, is a key step towards installing a government that is likely to be led by the Maoists with support from other political parties. The president will swear in the new prime minister, who runs the executive branch.
But in Saturday’s vote, none of the candidates fielded by the three major parties won the 298 votes needed, signaling the continuation of the political deadlock.
“No one has won a majority for president,” secretary-general of the assembly Manohar Bhattarai said. “There will be a re-election on Monday.”
That contest will be between the two top candidates.
Ram Baran Yadav of the Nepali Congress party came the closest with 283 votes, followed by Ramraja Singh who garnered 270 votes.
The third candidate, Ram Prit Paswan, got no votes.
The Maoists had backed the 73-year-old Singh, who masterminded a series of bomb blasts, including attacks on parliament and the royal palace in 1985. However, he lost the support of one of the four smaller parties at the last minute.
The Madhesi People’s Rights Forum, the fourth-largest party in Nepal, decided to join the alliance between the Nepali Congress and Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist).
The Madhesi People’s Rights Forum managed to get their candidate, Parmanandra Jha, elected as vice president after joining the new alliance. Jha got 305 votes.
There were four candidates contesting the vice president’s position.
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