Prachanda: From Commander to Prime Minister

Prachanda

This article appeared in the Nepali Maoist newspaper Red Star.

Prachanda, from Commander to Prime Minister

Prachanda, Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN-M), was elected the first prime minister of Republic of Nepal by the Constituent Assembly CA)on Friday evening.

He defeated former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, the Nepali Congress candidate in the CA voting. Prachanda, meaning “the fierce”, is Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s party name in the single largest CA party, CPN-M.

In February 1996, the CPN-M tendered its 40-point demands to Deuba-led government and launched an “armed revolution” against the government after its demands were rejected.