Nepal is producing a new coalition government with veteran politician KP Sharma Oli tapped as the new prime minister, after outgoing prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal lost a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives on Friday.
Oli, chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist), or CPN-UML, was appointed by Nepali President Ram Chandra Paudel on Sunday evening, serving his fourth term as prime minister.
The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) has joined hands with Nepali Congress to command a majority in the lower house, meeting statutes to form a new coalition government
The CNP-UML has joined hands with Nepali Congress to command a majority in the lower house, meeting statutes to form a new coalition government. On Saturday, Oli consulted with NC to prepare the list of ministers that will be inducted into the new coalition government, according to The Kathmandu Post.
The two parties is expected to lead the government on a rotational basis until the next general elections in 2027.
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Oli was first appointed the prime minister in October 2015 and served his first term until August 2016. He returned to the high office from February 2018 to May 2021 and from May 2021 to late 2021.
"The president has appointed CPN-UML chairperson Oli as the prime minister under Article 76 (2) of the Constitution," read a statement issued by the President's Office.
Oli and some ministers shall take office on Monday morning, Kiran Pokharel, press advisor to Paudel, told Xinhua.
On Friday, Paudel called on House of Representatives members to stake a claim for the post of prime minister, according to a statement from the Office of Paudel. It also said that members were asked to present the majority through the support of parties represented in the lower house.
Oli on the same night staked his claim to become the next PM backed by NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba and submitted the signature of 165 members to form the government under Article 76-2 of the Constitution, PTI reported. Among them 77 came from his party and 88 from the NC.
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After surviving previous votes of confidence, Friday was the fifth time for Dahal to seek a floor test since he became the head of a coalition government in late December 2022. Dahal won the support of only 63 lawmakers, far short of the 138 votes needed to pass the floor test in the 275-member chamber.
"As only 63 votes were cast in favor of the confidence motion, which is short of the majority in the House of Representatives, I hereby declare that the prime minister's motion to seek a vote of confidence has been rejected," Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire announced on the day.
As chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Center), Dahal rejected calls for his resignation to pave the way for a new coalition government and instead opted for a vote of trust again in the lower house, after the CPN-UML withdrew support to his coalition on July 3.
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In a statement on Friday evening, the President’s Office said, “After Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal failed to secure a vote of confidence under Article 100 (3), as informed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, a member of Parliament commanding majority support from two or more political parties is invited to submit a claim for the post of prime minister by Sunday 5:00 pm, as per Article 76 (2).”
The government shakeup occurred when the nation was hit hard by the natural disasters sparked by the monsoon season. Late last week, a total of 65 passengers went missing and at least 12 lives were lost after two buses were swept away by landslides in Chitwan district on the Mugling-Narayanghat stretch of a highway that connects Kathmandu with the rest of the country.
With Xinhua inputs
