RPP decides to abstain in presidential election

KATHMANDU: Pro-monarchy Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) has decided to abstain from voting in the presidential election.

A meeting of the party’s work performance committee held in Kathmandu on Tuesday decided to stay neutral in the presidential election, according to party spokesperson Mohan Kumar Shrestha.

“Our meeting centred on the presidential election. The meeting decided to not vote any candidate,” he said.

In the meeting, party vice president Rabindra Mishra criticized the party’s decision to join the government under Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s leadership and said that the party should not participate in the presidential election.

The presidential election has been scheduled for Wednesday. Ram Chandra Poudel of Nepali Congress and Subash Chandra Nembang of CPN-UML are contesting the election. Poudel has the support of eight-party coalition.

Members of federal parliament and seven province assemblies vote in the presidential election.