Nepal's parliament will select the nation's new prime minister on Sunday, choosing between the leaders of the top two political parties.

The new prime minister will have to deal with ongoing protests over the Himalayan country's new constitution, as well as an unhappy neighbor India.

The 598 members of parliament will choose between Sushil Koirala of the Nepali Congress party and Khadga Prasad Oli of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist.

Jhalnath Khanal, a senior lawmaker from Oli's party, said it had the support of more than half the members in parliament because smaller parties had pledged their support. The party is the second-largest in parliament and was the previous government's coalition partner.

Koirala became prime minister in 2014, but the constitution that was adopted last month required him to step down. He is, however, eligible to become prime minister again.

The voting for a new prime minister comes amid weeks of troubles in Nepal, with ethnic Madhesis and other groups protesting in the country's south against the new constitution. India, which has close ties to the Madhesis, is also unhappy with the constitution.

Madhesi protesters have blocked the main border point with India for two weeks, stopping cargo trucks with fuel and other essential supplies from entering Nepal. They have also been protesting in the streets for two months, leaving 45 people dead.

Talks last week between the government and protesters made little progress.

The constitution approved Sept. 20 divides Nepal into seven new states, with some borders slicing through the Madhesis' ancestral homeland in the southern plains along the border with India. The Madhesis, along with several other small ethnic groups, want the states to be larger and to be given more autonomy over local matters.

The Madhesis want the entire south and southeastern region where they live to be their state, absorbing chunks of territory from other proposed states. They also say the region's population is thick enough to add more constituencies, which would mean more of their people would be elected to parliament. They also want changes in the citizenship laws so more people in their land would get citizenship certificates.

The Madhesis have close cultural ties with India, which supplies most of Nepal's fuel and other necessities.

Indian officials deny there is a blockade and say drivers are afraid to enter Nepal. Nepalese authorities say there is no trouble at many cross-border checkpoints. (**)

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