Maoist chief Prachanda elected as Nepal prime minister
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Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, speaks at the parliament during the prime ministerial election at the parliament in Kathmandu, Nepal on Aug 3, 2016.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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KATHMANDU (REUTERS) - Nepal's Parliament elected former Maoist rebel chief Prachanda, who led a decade-long insurgency that toppled a Hindu monarchy, as prime minister on Wednesday (Aug 3) after predecessor K.P. Oli resigned rather than face defeat in a vote of no confidence.
Pushpa Kamal Dahal, 61, who still uses a nom de guerre that means "Fierce", won 363 votes out of the 573 cast in the 595-member Parliament, Speaker Onsari Gharti said.
He becomes the 24th prime minister in 26 years since the Himalayan nation adopted multi-party democracy in 1990 and the eighth since the 239-year-old monarchy was abolished eight years ago.
