Nepals parliament has elected veteran communist leader Madhav Kumar Nepal as the Himalayan countrys new prime minister in a bid to end weeks of political turmoil, BBC online reports Saturday.
Mr Nepal, the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), was the only candidate after the Maoists said they would not field any candidate and would boycott the vote.
The former Maoist Prime Minister, Prachanda, resigned on 4 May after eight months in office, in protest at a decision by President Ram Baran Yadav to veto his attempt to dismiss the head of the army.
The 56-year-old Kumar Nepal was last week named the candidate of an alliance of 22 parties, which have 350 members in the 601-seat assembly.
The composition of the new cabinet has yet to be finalised, but the Nepali Congress, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, Terai-Madhes Loktantrik Party and the Sadbhawana Party have said they will join the CPN.
The Maoists came to power last year after declaring an end to their decade-long armed struggle and becoming the largest party in parliament in a subsequent general election.
