The Nepali Communist Party (NCP) has selected former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal as its parliamentary party leader.

A meeting of the party’s parliamentary party held at its central office in Parisdanda on Sunday unanimously decided to appoint Dahal, who also serves as the party’s coordinator, to the post.

Govinda Acharya, Dahal’s personal secretary, confirmed to the Post that the decision was taken unanimously.

As parliamentary party leader, Dahal will now appoint the deputy leader and the chief whip.

The NCP has a total of 17 members in the House of Representatives, including eight elected through the first-past-the-post system and nine through the proportional representation system.