KATHMANDU, MARCH 12

Narayan Prasad Dahal, the candidate of the ruling coalition, has been elected to the post of National Assembly Chairperson.

Announcing the results of the voting held through the 'voice vote' method in the meeting of the National Assembly today, Vice-Chairperson Urmila Aryal, who chaired the meeting, declared that the proposal seeking Dahal's election to the post has been passed as 39 votes went in his favour.

Before this, 17 votes went in favour of the proposal seeking election of Dahal's contender and candidate of the main opposition Nepali Congress, Yubaraj Sharma. Fifty-six lawmakers participated in the voting on both proposals while one lawmaker stayed neutral.

The upper house of the Federal Parliament has 59 members, but presently it has 58 members.

CPN (Maoist Centre)'s lawmaker Gopi Bahadur Sarki Achhami proposed the candidacy of Dahal before the meeting and urged the upper house to elect Dahal on the post, citing that he is from the new political alliance that 'aims' to promote social justice and bring prosperity in the country. CPN (UML) lawmaker Devendra Dahal, Beduram Bhusal of CPN (Unified Socialist) and Mohammed Khalid of Janata

Samajbadi Party supported the nomination of Dahal.

Congratulating the newly-elected Chair Dahal, Vice-Chairperson Aryal wished him a successful term in office.

Ananda Prasad Dhungana of NC tabled the candidacy of Sharma, proposing the meeting to elect him on the post while Kiran Babu Shrestha and Loktantrik Samajbadi Party Nepal's Kishore Kumar Singh backed the nomination of Sharma.

The National Assembly will next meet at 1.09 pm on March 13.