An alliance of Nepal’s main Communist party and former Maoist rebels is heading for a landslide victory and is expected to form the next government in Nepal, ousting the ruling Nepali Congress, after winning 106 seats in the historic provincial and parliamentary polls. The CPN-UML led by former prime minister K.P. Oli and the CPN-Maoist led by former premier Prachanda have forged an electoral alliance for both the landmark polls, which is seen as a turning point after two decades of conflict and political instability in Nepal.
The poll outcome is expected to mark the end of Nepal’s transition to federal democracy, 11 years after the end of a brutal civil war in 2006. Since then, the Himalayan nation has seen 10 prime ministers. According to results released by the Election Commission on Monday, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist has won highest number of 74 seats, followed by its alliance partner CPN-Maoist Centre, which won 32 seats, out of the total 165 seats under the first-past-the-post election system. As the Left alliance headed for a clear majority in the 275-member Parliament, Oli was being projected to succeed PM Sher Bahadur Deuba. Oli won from the Jhapa-5 constituency by more than 28,000 votes as he defeated Nepali Congress candidate Khagendra Adhikari.
