CPN Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has been elected the new Prime Minister of Nepal. Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar announced that Dahal was elected the Prime Minister as he garnered more votes than 50 per cent of current strength of the Parliament. While total 573 lawmakers had cast their votes in the poll, 363 were for Dahal, according to Speaker Gharti. Dahal was backed by the largest party in the House, Nepali Congress, constituents of the United Democratic Madhesi Front and the Federal Alliance and some other fringe parties. Total 210 lawmakers including those of CPN-UML and Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal had cast votes against the Maoist leader. Though Dahal was the only contender for the top executive position of the nation, he had to go through the voting as the Constitution requires that the Prime Minister has to prove support of the majority lawmakers at the House.Total 298 votes were needed for Dahal to be elected the PM from the existing 595 members of the House. It would be the second stint of the Maoist leader as the Prime Minister as he had led the government after the first Constituent Assembly elections, from August 18, 2008 to May 25, 2009. He had resigned on May 4, 2009 after the then President Ram Baran Yadav turned down the Cabinet decision to remove the then army chief Rookmangud Katawal and ordered Katawal to stay put in the office.