In a dramatic turn of events in Nepal, KP Sharma Oli was reappointed as Prime Minister on Thursday just days after he was forced to step down following a vote of no confidence in the Parliament.
According to the reports, KP Sharma Oli has been reappointed as the country’s Prime Minister (PM) by the Nepalese President after opposition parties failed to secure a majority in the Parliament in Kathmandu.
On Monday, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had lost the crucial trust vote amidst the massive public anger over his response to a deadly second wave of Covid-19. After Oli’s loss, Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari had asked the opposition parties to prove their majority to form a new government by Thursday.
Following this, Nepali Congress (NC) Sher Bahadur Deuba had staked the claim for the post of Prime Minister. Deuba had also gained the support of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’. However, riddled by factionalism, the opposition parties failed to secure majority seats in the House to form a new government.
Reportedly, Deuba could not get support from Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP). JSP’s President Upendra Yadav had assured to support Deuba, but the party’s other president Mahanta Thakur had rejected support for the NC-led coalition.
As opposition parties failed to secure a majority, President Bidya Devi Bhandari has reappointed the 69-year-old Communist leader and Chairman of CPN-UML KP Sharma Oli as the Prime Minister of Nepal. In a press statement, the Office of President on Thursday evening said that President Bhandari reappointed Oli as Prime Minister in his capacity as leader of the largest political party in the House of Representatives as per Article 78(3) of the Constitution of Nepal.
President Bhandari will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Oli at a ceremony at Shital Niwas on Friday.
Prime Minister Oli has to prove his majority at the House within 30 days after taking the oath, failing which an attempt to form a government under Article 76 (5) would be initiated. If a new government cannot be formed, the President will dissolve the house, and fresh elections will be announced.
The CPN-UML, headed by Oli, is the largest party with 121 seats in the 271-member House of Representatives. The government needs 136 votes to prove their majority in the Parliament.
