Nepalese lawmakers elected the country’s first woman Speaker of Parliament on Friday ,following formation of a new government after promulgation of the Constitution.
Parliament unanimously elected UCPN-Maoist lawmaker Onsari Gharti Magar as the Speaker of the House.
Nepal’s Constituent Assembly was converted into the legislative Parliament after the promulgation of the Constitution on September 20 following which K P Sharma Oli was elected as the new prime minister defeating incumbent Sushil Koirala in a contest which became necessary after parties failed to forge a consensus amid violent protests over the country’s new Constitution.
Gharti was elected unanimously to the post after Nepal Workers and Peasants Party withdrew the candidacy of its lawmaker Anuradha Thapa Magar.
With the victory, Gharti became the first woman to lead the legislative body in Nepal’s parliamentary history. Earlier she had served as Deputy Speaker in Parliament.
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