Nepal - Rise to power

Lokendra Bahadur Chand took naturally to parliamentary life, and became deputy chairman of the Pratinidhi Sabha during his first term in office. Reelected in 1979, he then entered his first term as prime minister, which lasted from July 1983 to March 1986. Again, for a brief period in April 1990, he was named prime minister of an interim government for the transition to a multiparty system. In 1991, Chand formed the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), a conservative promonarchy party that was to become his power base. His third term as prime minister lasted from March to October 1997. As a well-liked consensus builder with leadership experience, and—importantly—royalist sympathies, Chand was the obvious choice for yet another interim post as prime minister, when King Gyanendra ran out of patience with Sher Bahadur Deuba, considering Deuba incompetent to handle the security crisis brought on by the Maoist rebellion. Chand's fourth prime ministership commenced when the king ousted Deuba, taking on leadership himself from 4 to 10 October 2002, then naming Chand as head of state on 11 October.