Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal Ousted After Losing Vote Of Confidence In Parliament, Oli Set To Be New PM
Nepal PM Dahal lost the vote of confidence after CPN-UML, the largest party in his coalition government, withdrew support to join Nepali Congress.
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Friday lost a vote of confidence in Parliament after the largest party in his coalition government, Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist, withdrew its support for his government. This ousted 'Prachanda,' forcing him to step down from office after leading the government for 18 months, news agency PTI reported.
The 69-year-old leader received 63 votes in the 275-member House, failing to get the support of more than half the members of the House of Representatives, needed to win the vote of confidence. A total of 194 votes were against the motion.
In order to gain trust, the Nepal PM was required to secure 138 votes.
The prime minister had opted for the floor test in accordance with Article 100(2) of Nepal's constitution after the CPN-UML withdrew its support, reducing his government to a minority.
Former PM Khadga Prasad Oli To Become Nepal's PM Again
CPN-UML had decided to pull out its support from Dahal's government last week, joining hands with the Nepali Congress to form a new alliance with the largest party in the country, Associated Press reported.
The new majority alliance agreed to nominate Khadga Prasad Oli, leader of the communist party, to be the new prime minister of Nepal again.
Oli served two terms as prime minister, from 11 October 2015 to 3 August 2016, and from 15 February 2018 to 13 July 2021.
He was the first PM to be appointed after the first general election were held under the new constitution of Nepal.
Ever since he became the PM in December 2022, Dahal had been leading a shaky coalition because of disagreements within his coalition partners.
Dahal had to form an alliance after finishing third in an inconclusive election. However, he formed a new alliance and became its leader, before finally becoming the prime minister.
He had to seek a vote of confidence in parliament five times since he became leader, and this was the third time he sought trust vote as the PM, AP reported.
This comes after his Maoist group put an end to an armed revolt and joined mainstream politics in 2006.
Nepali Congress had 89 seats in the House of Representatives, while CPN-UML has 78 seats. Together, the parties have a combined strength of 167 seats, which is greater than the required 138 seats for claiming majority in the lower house.
Also known as Prachanda, or the "fierce one," Dahal led a violent Maoist communist insurgency in Nepal from 1996 to 2006. During this period, more than 17,000 people were killed, while the status of several others remains unknown.
In 2006, the Maoists ended their armed revolt and joined a U.N.-assisted peace process, entering mainstream politics.
In the 2008 elections, Dahal’s party secured the most number of parliamentary seats that led him to become the prime minister. However, he quit a year later following differences with the president.
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