KP Sharma Oli, with the backing of the Nepali Congress and smaller parties, had submitted the signatures of 165 lawmakers, claiming majority support in the parliament for the Prime Ministership…reports Asian Lite News
With the expiration of the deadline to stake the claim for the Prime Minister, Nepal President Ram Chandra Paudel has appointed KP Sharma Oli (72) as the next Prime Minister.
Oli is the single leader who staked his claim for the post in support of the Nepali Congress.
Nepal President Paudel called the political parties in the Nepali parliament on Friday evening to stake a claim for the Prime Minister after Pushpa Kamal Dahal lost a confidence motion. The President had called for a claim of stake as per Article 76 (2) of the Constitution.
“Honourable President Shree Ram Chandra Paudel as per Article 76 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal has appointed member of the House of Representatives Shree KP Sharma Oli as the Prime Minister of Nepal,” the President’s Office said in a statement.
According to the statement, the oath ceremony for Oli has been scheduled for 11 am (NST) on Monday.
Along with Oli, a group of ministers will also be inducted into the cabinet for which the parties are holding rounds of discussions.
Oli and Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba jointly signed an application for the President to appoint the UML chief as the new prime minister on Friday evening, right after the results of the vote of confidence.
Oli, with the backing of the Nepali Congress and smaller parties, had submitted the signatures of 165 lawmakers, claiming majority support in the parliament for the Prime Ministership.
The Constitution of Nepal mandates a Prime Minister to cross a majority of 138 in the 275-strong House of Representatives to take over as Prime Minister. Oli became the Prime Minister for the first time in October 2015, soon after the promulgation of the constitution that year, and remained in power until August 2016.
Moreover, the Prime Minister is also mandated to take a vote of confidence within 30 days of appointment to prove his support.
Following the general elections in 2017, Oli, who was able to usher in nationalist sentiment amongst the people siding with China, formed a government and remained in power from February 2018 to May 2021.
Oli again was appointed as Prime Minister under the constitutional provision of 76 (3) from May 2021 to July 2021 after staking claim as the parliamentary leader of the largest party in parliament.
While in power for about three years, Oli dissolved the parliament twice, which was reinstated by the Supreme Court issuing a mandamus.
The Nepali Congress and CPN-UML (Communist Party of Nepal- Unified Marxist Leninist) signed an agreement on July 2 to divide 9 and 8 ministries, respectively, on the council of ministry.
According to the July 2 deal between Congress chief Deuba and UML chairman, Oli, the two parties will lead the government on a rotational basis until the next general elections in 2027. But, the deal has not been made public to date. (ANI)
Prachanda approved China rail deal ahead of trust vote
A day before Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ lost a vote of confidence in Parliament, he approved an agreement to link Nepal with China by rail under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). According to MyRepublica, this decision has more operational than political significance, aligning with Nepal’s involvement in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s large-scale infrastructure project.
“The Cabinet meeting on Thursday approved the ‘Strengthening the Development Cooperation in Building the Trans-Himalayan Multidimensional Connectivity Network’ agreement with China,” stated Communication Minister and government spokesperson Rekha Sharma. However, a minister noted that this is an initial decision and project implementation details are yet to be finalized.
On Friday, Prachanda lost the vote of confidence after coalition partner Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) withdrew support. Prachanda received only 63 votes in the 275-member House of Representatives, with 194 against him, leading to a new government likely headed by ex-Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.
Prachanda’s move is seen as a step towards implementing BRI projects, including the Kerung-Kathmandu railway and broader infrastructure development along the Nepal-China border. Earlier, the Nepali Congress, before forming a power-sharing deal with UML, had resolved to “only accept grants and not loans under the BRI project.” The government was also set to decide on implementing the 2017 BRI agreement with China, pending at the cabinet.
The BRI has faced global criticism for China’s debt diplomacy, exemplified by the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka, which was leased to China for 99 years after Sri Lanka defaulted on Chinese loans. India has also protested against the BRI’s USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
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