Nepal PM Oli appears set to lose no-confidence vote as allies depart

The fate of the nine-month-old KP Sharma Oli government in Nepal will be decided on Sunday when lawmakers vote on the no-trust-motion tabled against him by Maoists and Nepali Congress.

Updated on: Jul 24, 2016, 09:57:47 IST

Hindustan Times | By Utpal Parashar, Kathmandu

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The fate of the nine-month-old KP Sharma Oli government in Nepal will be decided on Sunday when lawmakers vote on the no-trust-motion tabled against him by Maoists and Nepali Congress.

Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli will address the House on Sunday before the voting for the no-trust-motion tabled against him by Maoists and Nepali Congress takes place. (Reuters file)

Debate on the motion began on Friday evening and will continue for the next two days. Prime Minister Oli would address the House on Sunday before the voting takes place.

With former ally Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre, the third biggest party in parliament, leaving the ruling coalition to join hands with opposition Nepali Congress, the largest party, Oli’s fate seems sealed.

“We brought the motion against the Prime Minister as he did nothing to fulfil agreements and work towards forging national unity and consensus,” CPN-MC chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda told the House.

Moving the motion, the Maoist leader accused Oli of being self-centred and egocentric and said a new government is needed to address demands of Madhesis and other minority groups and also to implement the constitution.

Prachanda, who had become Prime Minister in 2008 after the end of the civil war, is expected to return to the same post after a gap of nine years.

Read: Oli’s departure will be good news for Kathmandu and New Delhi

As per a deal between CPN-MC and NC, Prachanda will head the government for nine months and will be succeeded by NC president Sher Bahadur Deuba till the next general elections.

Speaking on the motion, senior NC leader Bimalendra Nidhi said his party decided to remove the government as Oli wasn’t serious about addressing the demands of Madhes-based parties.

Parties from the Madhes region bordering India have been demanding changes including fresh demarcation of state boundaries in the new constitution. In recent months, other smaller groups have also joined hands.

Subhash Chandra Nemwang, who belongs to Oli’s party Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist, stressed that removal of the government at this juncture would affect national unity.

Once the no-confidence motion is passed, there will be efforts at forming the next government through consensus. If that fails, voting would take place in parliament to elect the next Prime Minister.

Read: Nepal PM Oli hints at ‘Indian hand’ in attempts to dislodge him

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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