KATHMANDU: For­mer Maoist rebel Pushpa Kamal Dahal was confirmed as Nepal’s prime minister for a third time on Tuesday, winning almost unanimous backing from legislators even though November’s election returned a hung parliament.

Dahal, who still goes by his nom de guerre Pra­chanda, meaning “fierce”, secured 268 ballots in a vote of confidence in the 275-member parliament.

Nevertheless, his seven-party coalition may find it hard to govern as many of the allies have conflicting interests on looming issues including problems of secularism, the shape of the federal government and the distribution of citizenship ID cards.

The new administration also faces mounting economic challenges including high inflation; a decline in foreign exchange reserves as the price of food and energy imports soars; and a low tax base that limits state spending on critical infrastructure.

Nepal has had 11 governments since 2008, when its 239-year-old monarchy was abolished, and the instability has undermined business and investment.

Dahal, 68, heads the Maoist Centre, which emerged as the third biggest party with 32 seats. It will govern with the support of other parties including, principally, the Communist Unified Marx­ist-Leninist (UML) party with its 79 seats.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2023