The governing coalition nominated current Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for the ceremonial Indian presidency. The election will be next month if opposition parties have a candidate to run against him.[break]
In India, the prime minister holds the most powerful political office.
Congress party chairperson Sonia Gandhi appealed to lawmakers Friday to elect Mukherjee for a five-year term.
His successor as finance minister will face a strong challenge as the 5.3 percent economic growth in the last quarter was India´s slowest rate in nine years.
Related story
Do you like your name?
