Nepal’s President Ram Chandra Paudel has asked political parties to come together and form a new government. He set a deadline of Sunday evening for the parties to prove they have a majority in the House of Representatives (HoR). This call came after the current Prime Minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, known as ‘Prachanda’, lost a vote of confidence in Parliament.
To form a new government, parties must show they have the support of at least 138 members of the 275-member HoR. Prachanda only received 63 votes in favor, while 194 voted against him. A total of 258 members participated in the voting, and one member chose not to vote.
After losing the vote, President Paudel asked Prachanda to continue as a caretaker Prime Minister until a new government is in place. This loss is expected to pave the way for a new coalition government, likely led by former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.
The two main parties, Nepali Congress (NC) and Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), are preparing to submit their claim to form the new government. The NC, led by Sher Bahadur Deuba, has 89 seats, and CPN-UML, led by Oli, has 78 seats. Together, they have 167 seats, well over the required 138.
Before the vote, the NC and CPN-UML made a 7-point power-sharing agreement. According to this deal, Oli will serve as Prime Minister for the first one and a half years, followed by Deuba for the remaining term of the current HoR.
President Paudel consulted with constitutional and legal experts after Prachanda’s failure to secure a trust vote. This consultation was necessary to determine the constitutional steps required to form a new government. Consequently, he called on parties to present their majority support by Sunday.
The political landscape in Nepal is set for significant changes as parties race against the clock to form a new government. The coming days will determine if the NC and CPN-UML can successfully establish a coalition and lead the country forward.
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