Kathmandu, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Friday lost a vote of confidence in Parliament after coalition partner CPN-UML withdrew its support, a development that will lead to the formation of a new government led by former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.
Prachanda received only 63 votes in the 275-member House of Representatives (CoR) and there were 194 votes against the motion. At least 138 votes are needed to win the vote of confidence.
A total of 258 HoR members participated in the vote and one member abstained.
Prachanda, 69, president of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center (CPN-MC), had survived four confidence votes since he took over as prime minister on December 25, 2022.
He faced the same situation once again because the United Communist Party of Nepal Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), led by former Prime Minister Oli, withdrew support for the Prachanda-led government last week after signing an agreement to share power with the largest party in the country. the House – the Nepali Congress (NC).
Earlier, HoR Chairman Dev Raj Ghimire put Prachanda's vote of confidence under Article 100, Clause 2 of the Constitution to vote. After the voting was completed, he announced that the Vote of Confidence proposed by Prime Minister Prachanda was defeated by a majority vote.
President Ghimire will now report to President Ram Chandra Paudel who will in turn invite two or more political parties to claim the new government in accordance with Article 76, Clause 2 of the Constitution.
This paves the way for the NC and CPN-UML to form a new coalition government.
The NC has 89 seats in the HoR, while the CPN-UML has 78. Their combined strength of 167 is much more than the 138 needed to win a majority in the lower house.
Nepali Congress (NC) president Sher Bahadur Deuba has already endorsed Oli as the next prime minister.
NC President Deuba and CPN-UML President Oli on Monday signed a seven-point agreement to form a new coalition to topple the Prachanda-led government.
Under the agreement, Oli and Deuba will share the position of prime minister for the remainder of the House of Representatives term; In the first phase, Oli will become Prime Minister for a year and a half and then Deuba will hold office for the rest of the period.
Prachanda, whose party had 32 seats in the HoR, was elected Prime Minister for the third time on December 25, 2022, with the support of the CPN-UML.
Prachanda was elected Prime Minister under Article 76, Clause 2 of the Constitution of Nepal, which provides for the election of a Prime Minister with the support of two or more parties.
As the HoR session began in the early afternoon, the embattled Prachanda sharply criticized the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML for forging an alliance “out of fear” rather than shared principles and accused them of pushing the nation towards regression.
Prachanda expressed concern over possible regression and autocracy, stating that the NC and CPN-UML had joined forces as good governance began to take root in the country.
Prachanda received only 63 votes in the 275-member House of Representatives (CoR) and there were 194 votes against the motion. At least 138 votes are needed to win the vote of confidence.
A total of 258 HoR members participated in the vote and one member abstained.
Prachanda, 69, president of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center (CPN-MC), had survived four confidence votes since he took over as prime minister on December 25, 2022.
He faced the same situation once again because the United Communist Party of Nepal Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), led by former Prime Minister Oli, withdrew support for the Prachanda-led government last week after signing an agreement to share power with the largest party in the country. the House – the Nepali Congress (NC).
Earlier, HoR Chairman Dev Raj Ghimire put Prachanda's vote of confidence under Article 100, Clause 2 of the Constitution to vote. After the voting was completed, he announced that the Vote of Confidence proposed by Prime Minister Prachanda was defeated by a majority vote.
President Ghimire will now report to President Ram Chandra Paudel who will in turn invite two or more political parties to claim the new government in accordance with Article 76, Clause 2 of the Constitution.
This paves the way for the NC and CPN-UML to form a new coalition government.
The NC has 89 seats in the HoR, while the CPN-UML has 78. Their combined strength of 167 is much more than the 138 needed to win a majority in the lower house.
Nepali Congress (NC) president Sher Bahadur Deuba has already endorsed Oli as the next prime minister.
NC President Deuba and CPN-UML President Oli on Monday signed a seven-point agreement to form a new coalition to topple the Prachanda-led government.
Under the agreement, Oli and Deuba will share the position of prime minister for the remainder of the House of Representatives term; In the first phase, Oli will become Prime Minister for a year and a half and then Deuba will hold office for the rest of the period.
Prachanda, whose party had 32 seats in the HoR, was elected Prime Minister for the third time on December 25, 2022, with the support of the CPN-UML.
Prachanda was elected Prime Minister under Article 76, Clause 2 of the Constitution of Nepal, which provides for the election of a Prime Minister with the support of two or more parties.
As the HoR session began in the early afternoon, the embattled Prachanda sharply criticized the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML for forging an alliance “out of fear” rather than shared principles and accused them of pushing the nation towards regression.
Prachanda expressed concern over possible regression and autocracy, stating that the NC and CPN-UML had joined forces as good governance began to take root in the country.
