By Surendra Phuyal
BBC News, Kathmandu
Former Maoist rebels in Nepal look set to back a 73-year-old leader from the south of the country in presidential elections due on Saturday.
Disagreements up to now have prompted the Maoists, the biggest party, to join hands with parties elected from southern Nepal to find a compromise.
If everything goes according to their plan, 73-year-old Ramraja Prasad Singh could be the first president of Nepal.
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By all standards, it was an unprecedented decision by the Maoists to reach agreement with a group of at least three other parties from the south, which up until now have been political enemies.
'Right man'
Maoist leaders said they had no choice but to agree on Mr Singh - who leads a small republican party - because he is a "neutral face".
"We didn't want the present Prime Minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, to be the new president," said Maoist Chairman Prachanda.
"We wanted a new face and Mr Singh is the right candidate."
Prachanda is the Maoist prime ministerial candidate, and the country's interim constitution vests executive powers in him.
The three southern parties who are backing Mr Singh for the largely ceremonial role are led by the Madhesi People's Forum, the fourth largest party after the April elections.
With the backing of the Madhesi parties, the Maoists hope that they can win a clear majority - more than 50% of the votes in the 594-member house - in Mr Singh's favour.
In return, the Madhesis have demanded that their candidate for vice-president, Paramananda Jha, be elected.
Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress and United Marxist-Leninist parties have entered their presidential and vice-presidential candidates into the fray.
The newly-elected constituent assembly functions as a parliament but is also charged with writing Nepal's new constitution. It declared Nepal as a republic in late May - bringing an end to the monarchy.
The elections in April saw the Maoists emerge as the biggest political force. Their 10-year insurrection claimed the lives of over 13,000 people.
(BBC)
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