Nepal needs to focus on development: president

Nepal has stepped into a new era of political stability and economic development following the successful holding of the local, provincial and federal elections, President Bidya Devi Bhandari said yesterday.Nepal concluded the three phase of provincial, local and parliamentary elections as part of its efforts to implement the new Constitution that was promulgated in September 2015.The new government led by Left parties under Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli convened its first Parliament session on March 5 after the Himalayan nation successfully held landmark provincial and federal elections.While making her first address to a joint meeting of parliament – House of Representatives and National Assembly – Bhandari said the significant phase of the Constitution implementation has been over following the successful holding of parliamentary and provincial elections.This was Bhandari’s first address in the Parliament after being re-elected as the head of state for the second time on March 14.The CPN-UML has 121 members, the NC has 63, and the CPN-MC has 53 while the Federal Socialist Forum Nepal has 17 and the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal has 16 members.The successful conclusion of elections has brought an end to the protracted political transition and uncertainty and induced rays of hope for prosperity, she said.Bhandari underlined the need of co-operation with the neighbouring countries for the prosperity and development of the country.She expressed hope that Nepal will be free from corruption and called on all to join hands to put an end to corruption prevalent in the country. She also called for a violence-free society, stating that the country should not involve in any kind of violence under any pretext.Stating that Nepal was listed in the least-developed countries due to the weak governance and administrations, she said that from now onwards, the country should head towards the path of economic development at a faster pace.As a large number of youths are going abroad in search of employment, it is high time for the government to address their expectations for the development of the country, the president added.