Nepal's communist leader KP Sharma Oli was appointed as the prime minister for the fourth time on Sunday, after former PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ lost the vote of no confidence in the House of Representatives on Friday, news agency PTI reported.
Dahal had become the PM in March 2024, when he broke the alliance with Nepali Congress party and joined hands with CPI-UML's KP Sharma Oli after a vote of confidence. The country has seen 13 governments since the monarchy was abolished in 2008.
Oli, the chairman of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) (CPI-UML), faces a daunting challenge to provide political stability to the Himalayan nation. The 72-year-old leader will form a new government as per process under Article 76(2) of the Nepalese constitution, as per a notice issued by the President Ram Chandra Paudel's office.
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The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to take place at 11 am on Monday at Shital Niwas, the main building of Rashtrapati Bhawan.
{{/usCountry}}The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to take place at 11 am on Monday at Shital Niwas, the main building of Rashtrapati Bhawan.
{{/usCountry}}Oli becomes the PM of a new coalition supported by Nepali Congress party, headed by its president Sher Bahadur Deuba. During the vote of no confidence, Oli submitted the letter of support with signatures from 165 members to form a government in the 275 member House of Representatives.
Under Nepal's constitution, the PM can seek a vote of no confidence only after an ally withdraws support to his government. Among 165 members, 77 are from his party, (CPI-UML) and 88 are from the Nepali Congress party (NC).
Amid political uncertainity, last week, the two leaders signed a seven-point agreement to form a new coalition government to replace Prachanda as the Prime Minister. The deal specified that the remaining term in Parliament will be shared between the two parties by turn. Oli will lead the government for the next 18 months as per the arrangement.
Other smaller political parties including Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal, Lokatantrik Samajwadi Party, Janamat Party and Nagarik Unmukti Party are also likely to join the government.
Who is KP Sharma Oli?
Seen by India as pro-China, Oli served as the country's PM twice from October 2015 to August 2016 and then from February 2018 to July 2021. His short stint from May to July 2021 had become controversial, as his appointment as the PM by then President Bidya Devi Bhandari was quashed by Nepal's Supreme Court as unconstitutional.
According to the Indian Express, Oli took a harsh stance against India during the 2015 border blockade that erupted due to tensions in the border areas over Nepal's new constitution.
His government also strengthened ties with Beijing and published an updated map that claimed Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura in Uttarakhand as part of Nepal's territory. India had rejected the claim as “unilateral” and the two countries engaged in talks later.
(With PTI inputs)