KP Sharma Oli is poised to assume the role of Nepal’s prime minister once more after incumbent Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, known as ‘Prachanda’, failed to secure a trust vote in Parliament on Friday. Prachanda had previously survived four such votes amidst ongoing political instability in the Himalayan nation.
Oli, chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), staked his claim to form a new majority government by presenting his case to President Ramchandra Paudel. Oli garnered the support of 165 lawmakers, including 77 from his own party and 88 from the Nepali Congress.
Although smaller parties such as the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP), JSP-Nepal, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party, Janamat Party, and Nagarik Unmukti Party have shown support for the Congress-UML coalition government, Oli’s claim to the presidency was based solely on the backing of the UML and Nepali Congress.
“We have staked a claim for the new government before the President. Now, it’s up to him to decide when to make the appointment,” stated Ramesh Lekhak, Congress chief whip.
Prime Minister Prachanda, also the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-MC), faced the trust vote after the Oli-led CPN-UML withdrew its support from his government last week, following a power-sharing agreement with the largest party in the House, the Nepali Congress, led by Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Prachanda, 69, lost his position after failing to secure the 138 votes needed for the trust motion during a floor test in the House of Representatives. He managed only 63 votes in favor, while 194 lawmakers voted against him in the 275-member House. This vote occurred over 18 months after he became prime minister on December 25, 2022.
This was Prachanda’s fifth trust vote since his appointment as prime minister. In the initial confidence vote on January 10, 2023, he had received overwhelming support with 268 votes.
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