Nepal’s Parliament on Sunday elected Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli as the country’s 38th prime minister.
With more than 55% of lawmakers’ votes, Oli beat the incumbent, Sushil Koirala, to become the first prime minister of the South Asian nation since it adopted a new constitution in September.
The 63-year-old leader is chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist, the second-largest party in the Parliament.
Nepal, paralyzed by two major earthquakes earlier in the year, has faced major political and economic crises in recent days as a few minority groups continue their protest against provisions of the newly ratified constitution.
Blockages at Nepal’s border with its largest trading partner, India, are dragging on into a third week. Fuel is rationed, and supplies of food and medicine are running low in the Himalayan nation, according to its Commerce Ministry.
The landlocked country between India and China blames India for imposing an unofficial trade blockade to show dissatisfaction over Nepal’s new constitution. India denies the charge, saying truckers are hesitant to cross the border because of security concerns on Nepal’s side.