Ram Chandra Poudel Facts for Kids

Ministerial positions


Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs
In office 1999–2002
Monarch	Gyanendra
Prime Minister	Krishna Prasad Bhattarai Girija Prasad Koirala Sher Bahadur Deuba
Minister for Peace and Reconstruction
In office 2007–2008
President	Girija Prasad Koirala (Acting)
Prime Minister	Girija Prasad Koirala
Minister for Local Development and Agriculture
In office 1991–1994
Monarch	Birendra
Prime Minister	Girija Prasad Koirala

Parliamentary offices

Member of Parliament, Pratinidhi Sabha
In office 22 December 2022 – 9 March 2023
Preceded by	Krishna Kumar Shrestha
Succeeded by	Swarnim Wagle
Constituency	Tanahun 1
In office October 1994 – May 2002
Preceded by	Govinda Raj Joshi
Succeeded by	Himself (as member of Constituent Assembly)
Constituency	Tanahun 2
In office May 1991 – August 1994
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Govinda Raj Joshi
Constituency	Tanahun 1
Member of the Constituent Assembly / Legislature Parliament
In office 28 May 2008 – 14 October 2017
Preceded by	Himself (as member of Pratinidhi Sabha)
Succeeded by	Kedar Sigdel (as member of Pratinidhi Sabha)
Constituency	Tanahun 2

Senior party positions


Vice President of the Nepali Congress
In office 2008–2016
Preceded by	Prakash Man Singh Gopal Man Shrestha
Succeeded by	Bimalendra Nidhi

Personal details

Born

6 October 1944 (age 80)
Tanahun, Kingdom of Nepal

Political party

Independent (since 2023)

Other political
affiliations

Nepali Congress (until 2023)

Spouse

Savita Poudel

Children

Ram Chandra Paudel (Nepali: रामचन्द्र पौडेल; born 6 October 1944) is a Nepalese politician. He is currently the third and current president of Nepal since 2023. The president is the head of state in Nepal, similar to a king or queen in some countries, but elected by the people's representatives.

Before becoming president, Paudel was a senior leader of the Nepali Congress political party. He served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1994 to 1999. The Speaker is like the referee in a debate, making sure rules are followed in parliament. He was also the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs from 1999 to 2002. As Deputy Prime Minister, he was a very important government official, and as Home Minister, he was in charge of internal security and law enforcement.

Paudel was first elected to parliament in 1991. He held many other important jobs in the government and was the Leader of the Opposition from 2011 to 2013. The Leader of the Opposition leads the main political party that is not in power.

Discovering Ram Chandra Paudel's Early Life
Exploring Ram Chandra Paudel's Political Journey
Leading Nepal: President (2023-Present)
Ram Chandra Paudel's Family Life
Recognitions and Awards
See also

Discovering Ram Chandra Paudel's Early Life

Ram Chandra Paudel was born on 6 October 1944. His family were farmers in a small village called Satiswara, located in the Tanahun district of Nepal.

He finished his high school education in Kathmandu. He then studied Sanskrit literature at the Sanskrit University from 1963 to 1967. He also earned a master's degree in Nepali literature from Tribhuvan University in 1970. Interestingly, he took his exams for this degree while he was in prison for protesting against the government at the time.

Exploring Ram Chandra Paudel's Political Journey

Starting in Politics: Student Activism (1960s-1970s)

Ram Chandra Paudel began his political journey at a young age, just 16 years old. He joined protests against the government's decision to remove the elected government and start a new system called Panchayat rule in December 1960. He took part in many efforts by the Nepali Congress party to bring back democracy in the 1960s.

He was a key leader in student movements in Nepal. In 1967, he was elected president of the student union at Saraswati Campus. He also became the general secretary of the Democratic Socialist Youth League in 1968. Paudel helped create the Nepal Student Union, which is the student group of the Nepali Congress party, in 1970. He was one of its first members.

Building a Career: Party Politics (1970s-2023)

Paudel officially joined mainstream party politics in 1977. He was elected as a member of the Nepali Congress committee in his home district of Tanahun. He then became the vice-president of the district committee in 1979 and its president in 1980.

In 1983, Paudel was put in charge of the Nepali Congress's Central Publicity Committee. Later, in 1987, he became a member of the party's central committee and led its publicity efforts.

Paudel was first elected to parliament from Tanahun 1 in the 1991 general election. He then served as the Minister for Local Development and Agriculture from May 1991 to 1994.

In the 1994 general election, he changed his constituency and was elected from Tanahun 2. He held this seat for many years until 2017. After this election, Paudel was chosen as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, a role he held until 1999. After the 1999 general election, he became the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs, serving until 2002.

Paudel was elected general secretary of the Nepali Congress in 2006. He played an important part in the peace process after the civil war in Nepal ended. He was the Minister for Peace and Reconstruction from 2007 to 2008. In 2008, Paudel was elected vice-president of the Nepali Congress. He also became the leader of the Congress party in parliament.

In the 2017 general election, Paudel ran in his old seat of Tanahun 1 but was not elected. However, he remained active in politics and was elected from Tanahun 1 in the 2022 general election.

Fighting for Democracy: Years in Prison

Ram Chandra Paudel spent more than 15 years in prison at different times. He was often jailed because he was against the old Panchayat system and fought for democracy in Nepal. These periods of detention show his strong commitment to bringing political change to his country.

Leading Nepal: President (2023-Present)

Ram Chandra Paudel was the candidate for president from the Nepali Congress party and its alliance of 10 other parties in the 2023 presidential election. He was elected president on 9 March 2023. He won against another former speaker, Subas Chandra Nemwang.

After being elected president, Paudel stepped down from all his party roles and stopped being an active member of the Nepali Congress. This is because the president is expected to be neutral and represent all people, not just one political party. He also resigned as a member of Parliament before officially becoming president on 13 March 2023.

Ram Chandra Paudel's Family Life

Ram Chandra Paudel is married to Savita Paudel. They have five children together: four daughters and one son.

He is also a writer. He has published several books and articles about politics and his ideas.

Recognitions and Awards

Paudel has received honors for his work. In 1987, he was given the Mahendra Bikram Shah Prize for an article he wrote about human rights in Nepal.

Japan: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (2020) – for helping to make the relationship between Nepal and Japan stronger.

Ram Chandra Poudel facts for kids

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