Madhav Kumar Nepal in Kathmandu. (AP)

Kathmandu, May 23 (Reuters): Nepal’s Constituent Assembly today elected a moderate communist leader as the new Prime Minister .

Three weeks ago, Maoist Prime Minister Prachanda resigned, plunging the nascent republic into a crisis sparked by his failure to fire the army chief. Madhav Kumar Nepal, 56, a veteran leader of the moderate Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), was elected unopposed after the Maoists refused to field a candidate and said they would boycott the vote.

“Since there is only one proposal to elect Madhav Kumar Nepal as Prime Minister, I declare him elected unopposed,” said Subas Nemwang, the Assembly Speaker, as the Maoists stormed out of the legislature. They vowed not to join the new government.

The former Maoist rebel leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who still uses his nom de guerre Prachanda, meaning “fierce”, resigned on May 4 after President Ram Baran Yadav stopped him from firing General Rukmangat Katuwal.

Prachanda accused Katawal of undermining the civilian government.

A loose alliance of 22 political parties later backed the Nepal for the post of Prime Minister. A former bank clerk turned politician and a commerce graduate, he is known for his ability to negotiate with rivals. His family migrated to Nepal 200 years ago from Bihar. He completed part of his education in India. Nepal has the support of 351 MPs in the 601-member Assembly.

The new government has a year to oversee the drafting of a new Constitution, a key part of the deal that ended a conflict with Maoist insurgents that killed more than 13,000 people. Nepal became a secular state three years ago after the decade-long civil war ended.