Nepal's parliament elects nation's first female president
A Communist leader who has long campaigned for women's rights was elected Wednesday as Nepal's first female president.
Bidhya Devi Bhandari of the Communist Party of Nepal Unified Marxist-Leninist received 327 votes against her opponent's 214 in parliament on Wednesday, Parliament Speaker Onsari Gharti announced.
The president is the ceremonial head in Nepal while the prime minister is the nation's leader.
Bhandari, 54, is the deputy leader of the party led by Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli, who was elected earlier this month and leads a coalition government. The new constitution adopted last month required Nepal to name a new president.
