Pushpa Kamal Dahal ( ne, पुष्पकमल दाहाल; born 11 December 1954), also widely known by his
nom de guerre
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...
Prachanda (, ; meaning "fierce"), is a Nepalese politician serving as the current
Prime Minister of Nepal
The Prime Minister of Nepal ( ne, नेपालको प्रधानमन्त्री) is the head of government of Nepal. The Prime Minister is the head of the Council of Ministers of Nepal and the chief adviser to the President of N ...
. He previously held the prime ministerial post from 2008 to 2009, and again from 2016 to 2017.
Dahal was born in
Pokhara
Pokhara ( ne, पोखरा, ) is a metropolitan city in Nepal, which serves as the capital of Gandaki Province. It is the second most populous city of Nepal after Kathmandu, with 518,452 inhabitants living in 101,669 households in 2021. ...
,
Kaski and spent most of his childhood in
Chitwan, where he received a diploma of science in agriculture from
Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science
Tribhuvan University's Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS) is the oldest institute in Nepal which provides higher education in agriculture and animal science.
Overview
IAAS was founded in Kathmandu in 1957 as a school of agri ...
(IAAS) in Rampur,
Chitwan. He joined left-wing political parties after seeing severe
poverty
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse < ...
in his youth. In 1981, he joined the
Communist Party of Nepal (Fourth Convention)
The Communist Party of Nepal (Fourth Convention) ( ne, नेपाल कम्युनिष्ट पार्टी (चौथो महाधिवेशन), ''Nepala Kamyunishta Parti (Chautho Mahadhiveshan)'') was a communist party in N ...
, and later became general secretary of the
Communist Party of Nepal (Mashal) in 1989. This party later became the
Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). Dahal was the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) during the country's
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...
and
subsequent peace process and the 1st Nepalese constituent assembly. In the
2008 elections
The following elections occurred in the year 2008.
* Electoral calendar 2008
* 2008 United Nations Security Council election
Africa
* 2008 Angolan legislative election
* 2008 Anjouan presidential election
* 2008 Republic of the Congo Senate elec ...
, CPN(M) emerged as the largest party, and Dahal became Prime Minister in August of that year. He resigned from the post on 4 May 2009, after his attempt to sack the then army chief, General
Rookmangud Katawal
General Rookmangud Katawal is a former Nepalese Army general, who served as the Chief of Army Staff of the Nepal Army from 2006 to 2009. General Katawal has come across controversy after the then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal unilaterally ...
, was opposed by then President
Ram Baran Yadav.
Dahal was sworn in as Prime Minister for the second time in 2016, as per an agreement to form a rotational government by Congress and CPN (Maoist Centre). He resigned from the post of Prime Minister on 24 May 2017. Following the
2022 Nepalese general election
General elections, General elections are expected to be held in Nepal in November 2022 unless the House of Representatives (Nepal), House of Representatives is dissolved earlier. The discussion is underway due to interest of leading Nepali Congre ...
, with an alliance with political parties including
CPN (UML) CPN may refer to:
* Calpine Corporation, New York Stock Exchange symbol CPN
* Canadian Perinatal Network
* ''Carnivorous Plant Newsletter''
* Carpinteria (Amtrak station), California, Amtrak station code CPN
* Caspian Airlines (Iran), ICAO airlin ...
,
Rastriya Swatantra Party
The Rastriya Swatantra Party ( ne, राष्ट्रिय स्वतन्त्र पार्टी; RSP) (; NIP) is a political party in Nepal. It currently remains as a junior ally in Prachanda-led government as of 26 December 2022.
...
, and
Rastriya Prajatantra Party
The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (; ne, राष्ट्रिय प्रजातन्त्र पार्टी, lit=National Democratic Party; , ( ne, राप्रपा)) is a monarchist, constitutional monarchist and Hindu national ...
, Dahal was sworn in as Prime Minister again in 2022.
Early life
Pushpa Kamal Dahal was born on 11 December 1954 in
Pokhara
Pokhara ( ne, पोखरा, ) is a metropolitan city in Nepal, which serves as the capital of Gandaki Province. It is the second most populous city of Nepal after Kathmandu, with 518,452 inhabitants living in 101,669 households in 2021. ...
,
Kaski as Ghanashyam Dahal to father Muktiram and mother Bhawani Dahal in a
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...
Hindu family.
He later changed his name during a
matriculation examination
A matriculation examination or matriculation exam is a university entrance examination, which is typically held towards the end of secondary school. After passing the examination, a student receives a school leaving certificate recognising acade ...
as Pushpa Kamal Dahal. At the age of eight, his family migrated to
Tarai, a fertile lowland region in southern
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...
, and settled in
Chitwan District.
In 1950s, his father Muktiram moved to Indian state of
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
to find work, where, he was worked as a firewood collector, and returned back home in 1961.
In 1971, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, moved to
Kathmandu
, pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_type1 = Provinces of Nepal, Province
, subdivision_name1 ...
for his studies, and was enrolled in
Patan Multiple Campus for two years.
He moved back to Chitwan, and received a diploma of science in agriculture from
Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science
Tribhuvan University's Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS) is the oldest institute in Nepal which provides higher education in agriculture and animal science.
Overview
IAAS was founded in Kathmandu in 1957 as a school of agri ...
(IAAS) in Rampur,
Chitwan.
[Somini Sengupta, and he was also a high school teacher in Aarught of Gorkha distric]
"Where Maoists Still Matter"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
,'' 30 October 2005. After completing studies, failing to find jobs in bureaucracy, became a school teacher in a village, where he worked until 1979.
Dahal became drawn to left-wing political parties after seeing severe
poverty
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse < ...
in his youth.
He joined the
Communist Party of Nepal (Fourth Convention)
The Communist Party of Nepal (Fourth Convention) ( ne, नेपाल कम्युनिष्ट पार्टी (चौथो महाधिवेशन), ''Nepala Kamyunishta Parti (Chautho Mahadhiveshan)'') was a communist party in N ...
in 1981. He became general secretary of the
Communist Party of Nepal (Mashal) in 1989, this party, later, became the
Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).
Dahal was underground, even after the restoration of democracy in 1990.
Not widely known then, he controlled the clandestine wing of the party, while
Baburam Bhattarai
Baburam Bhattarai ( ne, बाबुराम भट्टराई, ; born 18 June 1954), also known by his nom de guerre Laaldhwoj, is a Nepalese politician and former Prime Minister, who presently serves as leader of the Nepal Socialist Party ...
represented the
United People's Front
The United People's Front of Nepal ( ne, संयुक्त जनमोर्चा नेपाल, Sanyukta Janamorcha Nepal), abbreviated SJM, was the front of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre), or CPN (UC).
History Formation ...
in parliament.
Nepalese Civil War
On 4 February 1996,
Baburam Bhattarai
Baburam Bhattarai ( ne, बाबुराम भट्टराई, ; born 18 June 1954), also known by his nom de guerre Laaldhwoj, is a Nepalese politician and former Prime Minister, who presently serves as leader of the Nepal Socialist Party ...
gave the government, led by
Nepali Congress
The Nepali Congress ( ne, नेपाली कांग्रेस ; abbr. NC) is the largest social democratic political party in Nepal. As per the results of recent local election, ''Nepali Congress'' stands as the single largest party of ...
Prime Minister
Sher Bahadur Deuba
Sher Bahadur Deuba ( ne, शेरबहादुर देउवा, ; born 13 June 1946) is a Nepali politician and former prime minister of Nepal. He has also been serving as the president of the Nepali Congress since 2016. Deuba has served ...
, a
list of 40 demands, threatening
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...
if they were not met.
The demands related to "nationalism, democracy, and livelihood" and included such line items as the "domination of foreign capital in Nepali industries, business and finance should be stopped", and "discriminatory treaties, including the
1950 Nepal-India Treaty, should be abrogated", and "land under the control of the feudal system should be confiscated and distributed to the landless and the homeless."
After that, and until 26 April 2006, Dahal directed the military efforts of the
CPN (Maoist Centre)
The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) (), abbreviated CPN (Maoist Centre), CPN-Maoist Centre, CPN Maoist Centre, or CPN (MC), is the third largest political party in Nepal. It was founded in 1994 after breaking away from the Communist P ...
towards establishing areas of control, particularly in the mountainous regions and in western Nepal.
The 40 demands were whittled down to 24 in subsequent political negotiations.
["Maoists Demand Interim Constitution,"](_blank)
''Kathmandu Post'', 28 April 2003
In late 2004 or early 2005, relations between Dahal and Baburam Bhattarai soured. This was reportedly due to disagreement on power-sharing inside the party. Bhattarai was unhappy with the consolidation of power under Dahal.
At one point, Dahal expelled Bhattarai from the party, though he was later reinstated.
They later reconciled at least some of their differences. On 22 November 2005, Dahal and the
Seven Party Alliance released a 'twelve-point agreement' that expressed areas of agreement between the CPN(M) and the parties that had won a large majority in the last parliamentary election in 1999.
Among other points, this document stated that the dictatorial monarchy of
King Gyanendra
Gyanendra Shah ( ne, ज्ञानेन्द्र शाह, born 7 July 1947) is a former monarch who was the last King of Nepal, reigning from 2001 to 2008. As a child, he was briefly king from 1950 to 1951, when his grandfather, Tribhuva ...
was the chief impediment to progress in Nepal.
It claimed further that the
Maoists
Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...
were committed to
human rights
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
and
press freedoms
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exerci ...
and a
multi-party system
In political science, a multi-party system is a political system in which multiple political parties across the political spectrum run for national elections, and all have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in co ...
of government.
It pledged self-criticism and the intention of the Maoists and the Seven Parties to not repeat past mistakes.
[Unofficial translation]
"The 12-point agreement between the Maoists and the seven-party alliance as listed in statement by Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Tuesday,"
''Nepal News'', 25 November 2005
On 26 April 2006, Dahal announced a
ceasefire
A ceasefire (also known as a truce or armistice), also spelled cease fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be between state ac ...
with a stated duration of 90 days
. The move followed weeks of massive protests—the
April 2006 Nepalese general strike
The 2006 Democracy Movement ( ne, text=लोकतन्त्र आन्दोलन, translit=Loktantra Āndolan) is a name given to the political agitations against the direct and undemocratic rule of King Gyanendra of Nepal. The movemen ...
— in
Kathmandu
, pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_type1 = Provinces of Nepal, Province
, subdivision_name1 ...
and elsewhere that had forced
King Gyanendra
Gyanendra Shah ( ne, ज्ञानेन्द्र शाह, born 7 July 1947) is a former monarch who was the last King of Nepal, reigning from 2001 to 2008. As a child, he was briefly king from 1950 to 1951, when his grandfather, Tribhuva ...
to give up the personal dictatorship he had established on 1 February 2005, and restore the parliament that had been dissolved in May 2002
. A new government was then established by the Seven-Party Alliance. The parliament and the new government supported the ceasefire and started negotiations with the Maoists on the basis of the twelve-point agreement. The two sides agreed that a new constituent assembly would be elected to write a new constitution, and decide the fate of the monarchy. The Maoists wanted this process to end with Nepal becoming a republic.
["Nepal Maoist rebels declare truce,"](_blank)
BBC, 27 April 2006
Premierships
Dahal met for talks with Prime Minister
Girija Prasad Koirala
Nepal Ratna Man Padavi, Nepal Ratna Girija Prasad Koirala ( ne, गिरिजाप्रसाद कोइराला ; 4 July 1924 – 20 March 2010), affectionately known as Girija Babu, was a Nepalese politician. He headed the Nepali Con ...
on 16 June 2006, which was thought to be his first visit to the capital Kathmandu in more than a decade. This meeting resulted in the
Comprehensive Peace Accord to dissolve parliament, incorporate the CPN(M) into a new interim government, draft a new constitution, and disband the CPN(M)'s "people's governments" operating in rural Nepal. The two sides also agreed to disarm at a later date, under international supervision. On 18 September 2007, the CPN(M) left the coalition government ahead of the
Constituent Assembly election
Constituent or constituency may refer to:
Politics
* An individual voter within an electoral district, state, community, or organization
* Advocacy group or constituency
* Constituent assembly
* Constituencies of Namibia
Other meanings
* Const ...
, demanding the declaration of a republic by parliament, and a system of
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
in the election. The CPN(M) rejoined the government on 30 December 2007, after an agreement to abolish the monarchy following the election, and to have a system of partial proportional representation in the election. Following power-sharing discussions that lasted several months, Dahal was elected as Prime Minister by the Constituent Assembly on 15 August 2008, and he was sworn in as Prime Minister on 18 August 2008.
["PM Dahal sworn in"](_blank)
Nepalnews, 18 August 2008.
The decade-long war ultimately led the Maoists to Nepal's parliament. After winning a remarkable majority in the Constitutional Assembly elections, Dahal was nominated for the Prime Ministership by the party. In the April 2008 Constituent Assembly election, he was elected from Kathmandu constituency-10, winning by a large margin, and receiving nearly twice as many votes as his nearest rival, the candidate of the
Nepali Congress
The Nepali Congress ( ne, नेपाली कांग्रेस ; abbr. NC) is the largest social democratic political party in Nepal. As per the results of recent local election, ''Nepali Congress'' stands as the single largest party of ...
. He also won overwhelmingly in Rolpa constituency-2, receiving 34,230 votes against 6,029 for Shanta Kumar Oli of the
Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), CPN(UML). With the CPN(M) appearing to have won the election, Dahal pledged that the party would work together with other parties in crafting the new constitution, and he assured the international community, particularly India and
China, that the party wanted good relations and co-operation. He also said that the party had expressed its commitment to multi-party democracy through the election.
In August 2016 Pushpa Kamal Dahal was elected for a second stint as Prime Minister of Nepal. Dahal became the 24th prime minister since Nepal's adoption of multi-party democracy in 1990 and the eighth since the
abolition of the monarchy in 2008. He resigned from the post of Prime Minister on 24 May 2017 and was succeeded by
Sher Bahadur Deuba
Sher Bahadur Deuba ( ne, शेरबहादुर देउवा, ; born 13 June 1946) is a Nepali politician and former prime minister of Nepal. He has also been serving as the president of the Nepali Congress since 2016. Deuba has served ...
of the Nepali Congress in June.
Third premiership
Pushpa Kamal Dahal was appointed prime minister for the third time on 25 December 2022, following the
2022 Nepalese general election
General elections, General elections are expected to be held in Nepal in November 2022 unless the House of Representatives (Nepal), House of Representatives is dissolved earlier. The discussion is underway due to interest of leading Nepali Congre ...
.
Personal life
Pushpa Kamal Dahal married Sita Dahal (
Née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...
Poudel) when he was fifteen.
They have three daughters and a son.
Publications
*
References
, -
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dahal, Pushpa Kamal
1954 births
2008 in Nepal
21st-century prime ministers of Nepal
Bahun
Communist Party of Nepal (Fourth Convention) politicians
Communist Party of Nepal (Mashal) politicians
Communist rulers
Living people
Maoist theorists
Members of the 1st Nepalese Constituent Assembly
Members of the 2nd Nepalese Constituent Assembly
Nepal Communist Party (NCP) politicians
Nepal MPs 2017–2022
Nepal MPs 2022–present
Nepalese atheists
Nepalese political party founders
Nepalese revolutionaries
People from Chitwan District
People from Kaski District
People of the Nepalese Civil War
Prime ministers of Nepal