The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) recently suggested appointing former president Bidya Devi Bhandari as its Honored Senior Leader.
At a meeting today at the party headquarters in Chyasal, the CPN-UML Secretariat made this decision. With this role, Bhandari will rank just below party Chairman KP Sharma Oli, making her the second-highest leader in the party.
Deciding on Bhandari’s position after her presidential term led to some discussions within the CPN-UML. After several weeks of consideration, the Secretariat decided that she should take on the role of Honored Senior Leader, marking her return to politics after stepping down as CPN-UML Vice-Chairperson before becoming Nepal’s first female president.
As a result of this appointment, the former president will hold the second-ranking position in the party and will sit above the senior vice-chairs. Once the party’s secretariat approved the proposal, it was sent to the ongoing central committee meeting of the CPN-UML in Lalitpur for formal endorsement.
This decision also resolves ongoing issues regarding Bhandari’s party membership renewal after her two terms as president of Nepal from 2015 to 2023.