Nepal to choose new President on March 5

Election will see successor of incumbent Bidhya Devi Bhandari.

Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari (left) administers the oath of office to newly-elected Prime Minister K.P. Oli, in the presence of outgoing Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba (centre), at the presidential building “Shital Niwas” in Kathmandu on Nepal February 15, 2018. The Himalayan nation will also elect a new President, who will succeed Ms. Bhandari, on March 5.

Nepal will have a new President on March 5 in place of the Himalayan nation’s first woman President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, according to sources at the country’s Election Commission.

While the election for Nepal’s new President would be held on March 5, the Vice-President would be elected on March 16, they said.

Poll dates announced

The Election Commission of Nepal has proposed the dates for the elections after consulting the leaders of major political parties.

However, the final date and schedule of the election will be announced after the new Cabinet makes formal decision in this regard, the sources have said.

Ms. Bhandari was elected as the first woman President of Nepal in October 2015.

With the formation of the new Parliament, the tenure of the President expires. The process of electing a new President starts once the new Prime Minister is appointed.

CPN-UML chairperson K.P. Sharma Oli on Thursday became Nepal’s Prime Minister for the second time, over two months after his Left alliance routed the ruling Nepali Congress in the country’s historic parliamentary polls.