Nepal: Agni Prasad Sapkota elected House speaker unopposed

The ruling Nepal Communist Party's lawmaker Agni Prasad Sapkota has been elected the Speaker of House of Representatives unopposed as no other lawmaker contested against his candidacy, the state media said.

Mahantha Thakur, who was chairing the House meeting today as the senior-most member, announced his election to the post on Sunday afternoon.

Earlier during the meeting, the NCP's Subas Chandra Nembang had proposed his name for the position, arguing he was an appropriate candidate to lead the House. He said that Sapkota's qualification was clear as the opposition parties also did not field any candidate against him.

As Sapkota was the only candidate for the House speaker he was certain to be declared as an unopposed winner to the post.

Sapkota faces a murder charge in Kavrepalanchowk district. He has been accused of involvement in abducting and killing Arjun Lama in August 2005, during the decade long conflict era. Lama was abducted in April 2005 from a parents-teacher meeting held at Shree Krishna Secondary School at Dapche in Kavrepalanchowk district.

Activists and civil society members have decried the decision to nominate Sapkota as an attack against the parliamentary system and against the spirit of democracy, according to The Himalayan Times.

Senior advocate Dinesh Tripathi has also filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court urging the apex court to stay the speaker's election process and prevent Sapkota from becoming the speaker.