Last week, Nepal’s Parliament elected Pushpa Kamal Dahal as prime minister, in the country’s 25th change in leadership in 26 years. Political instability is harming Nepal’s struggling economy, which is expected to grow only 1.5 percent this year, and threatens to stall further relief for victims of last year’s devastating earthquake. While Nepal’s political leaders are embroiled in interminable fights, the country’s needs are going unaddressed. That transition could well add to the political turmoil involving disputes over Nepal’s new Constitution, which was approved by the Parliament last September, and jockeying between Nepal’s powerful neighbors, India and China. Mr. Dahal’s predecessor, K. P. Sharma Oli, resigned last month after only nine months in office.

Source: New York Times August 12, 2016 01:18 UTC