Former PMs should not be presidential candidates: Bishwa Prakash Sharma

The Secretary General of the Nepal Congress (NC), Bishwa Prakash Sharma, has said that former prime ministers should not be candidates for president.

Noting that NC Chairman Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN (United Socialist) Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal and Nepal Samajwadi Party Chairman Baburam Bhattarai, all former prime ministers, are being considered as possible presidential candidates, Sharma he said that no former prime minister should be a candidate for president.

Although he himself had said that Deuba would also be an excellent candidate for the job, he came to the conclusion that former prime ministers should not be candidates for president, Sharma said.

Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament building in New Baneshwar on Wednesday, Sharma said that NC will put forward a candidacy for the post of president and stated that the CPN (Maoist Center) will support the NC candidate.

“We will present a candidacy for president. When the prime minister supports our candidate, he will send a message,” Sharma said.

He said it would be natural for NC, as the largest party in Parliament, to get the post of president when the third largest party, the Maoist Center, already has the prime minister and the second largest party, CPN-UML, has the president.

Sharma said that NC has not yet finalized its presidential candidate, adding that Ram Chandra Paudel or someone else could become the candidate after discussion.

He said that the Maoist Center will support the North Carolina candidate, whoever he is, and that the prime minister will be able to do his job properly.

Sharma also said the current ruling coalition could fall apart or continue if the NC’s proposed candidate becomes president.