Nepal Elects Communist as First Woman to Lead Congress

Lawmaker Onsari Gharti Magar became the first woman in the country's history to lead the National Congress after being unanimously elected Friday.

Her swearing in ceremony Sunday was attended by President Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Paramananda Jha, along with other lawmakers and ministers.

Nine other ministers – out of the 18 forming the government – joined her oath as they were appointed in the new cabinet of K. P. Sharma Oli, head of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist). Magar is from the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).

The election of a new government was agreed before the new Constitution's promulgation on Sept. 20, which had been pending since the abolition of the monarchy in 2008. The text put an end to a deadly civil war (1996-2006) that caused almost 16,000 deaths.

Nepal's new Constitution remains controversial, as the Tharu and Madhesi tribes in the neighboring provinces with India have repeatedly protested to demand more political representation.

Oli, a former radical communist who spent 14 years in jail for seeking to topple an autocratic monarchy, promised to accommodate ethnic minority groups.

The new prime minister is also expected to put Nepal back on its feet after a devastating earthquake killed over 8,800 people and destroyed close to 600,000 homes in April.

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