The CPN-UML chose Vice President Ashta Laxmi Shakya as the party’s vice-presidential candidate.
The party secretariat meeting held on Saturday decided to choose the veteran Shakya leader as its vice-presidential candidate, according to UML leader Pradeep Gyawali.
UML chose a female candidate after the Election Commission ordered on Friday not to register the nomination of male candidates for the post of vice president.
The Election Commission meeting on Friday directed the Election Official’s Office to register the nomination of only women other than Khas-Arya. “The Constitution establishes that the gender of president and vice president must be different. The Election Commission has instructed accordingly,” Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Thapaliya said “The women of the Khas-Arya community are also unable to submit a nomination as Ram Chandra Paudel of the community was elected president yesterday.”
The Election Commission’s instruction meant Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) parliamentary party leader Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav, who was elected as the JSP candidate on Thursday, could not become the common coalition candidate for vice president.
Eight parties, including the Nepal Congress (NC), CPN (Maoist Center), Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP), CPN (United Socialist), Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (LSP), Janamat Party, Rastriya Janamorcha and the Nagarik Unmukti party have already decided to give the deputy post of JSP.
The coalition will meet again on Saturday to finalize the candidate.
