Vidya Devi Bhandari on Thursday took the oath of office as Nepal’s first woman president since the country was declared a republic after the 240-year-old monarchy was abolished in 2008.
Chief Justice Kalyan Shrestha administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly-elected president at a special function at Rastrapati Bhawan here. Bhandari, 54, the vice-chairperson of CPN-UML was elected on Wednesday as the second president of the Republic of Nepal after the monarchy was abolished in the country in 2008. She defeated Nepali Congress candidate Kul Bahadur Gurung during voting on Wednesday, to become the first female president of the country. Bhandari has long campaigned for women’s rights and was among the politicians who pushed for ensuring women’s rights in the new constitution adopted last month.