US welcomes Nepal's election of new premier

WASHINGTON: The United States said Monday it hoped the election of a new prime minister in Nepal will boost the peace process and speed the drafting of a new constitution.

Senior Maoist party leader Baburam Bhattarai was elected as Nepal's prime minister on Sunday in the latest attempt to form a stable government after extended political uncertainty.

"We congratulate the people of Nepal on the election of the new prime minister," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.

"We look forward to working with Prime Minister Bhattarai and continuing the warm and constructive relationship that we've had with Nepal," she said.

"We're hopeful that his election will give renewed momentum both to the peace process and to constitution drafting," Nuland added.

Nepal's lawmakers on Monday agreed to extend the term of the country's parliament for another three months to try to finally draft a new constitution after the civil war that ended in 2006.

The parliament, or Constituent Assembly, was tasked with writing a new constitution for the young republic, which ditched its monarchy in 2008, but rival political parties have been locked in dispute over the charter.

Competing parties have also been unable to implement a national peace plan.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011