Nepalese parliament's sixth bid to elect new prime minister fails

Sep 5, 2010, 12:11 GMT

Kathmandu - Nepal's parliament Sunday failed to produce a result in the sixth round of voting to elect a prime minister in two months.

Parliament's failure to elect a new premier has thrown the Himalayan nation deeper into political turmoil. Nepal has been under a caretaker government since June 30, when prime minister Madhav Kumar resigned under pressure from Maoists to form a power-sharing government.

Maoist candidate Pushpa Kamal Dahal garnered 240 votes Sunday, while 101 votes were cast against him. 130 lawmakers cast neutral votes.

Maoist candidate Pushpa Kamal Dahal garnered 240 votes, while Nepali Congress candidate won 122.

A candidates needs 300 votes from the 601-member parliament to win. Just over 500 parliamentarians voted Sunday. The participation of the lawmakers has been dwindling since July.

The third largest party in the parliament, Congress Party of Nepal-Unified Marxists-Leninists (CPN-UML) abstained once more.

'We will hold talks within our party and talk to the other parties including the civil society, about finding an outlet,' said Maoist Vice-Chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha.