Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal loses trust vote as key ally withdraws support

By Team Asianet Newsable | First Published Jul 12, 2024, 6:07 PM IST

Nepal’s prime minister lost a vote of confidence in parliament on Friday after the largest party in his coalition government withdrew its support, which would now force him to step down from office after 19 months in power.

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ on Friday lost a vote of confidence in Parliament after the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) withdrew its support for his government. Prachanda, 69, received 63 votes in the 275-member House of Representatives (HoR). There were 194 votes against the motion. He had to move a confidence motion in parliament after his main ally in government, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) decided to pull out their support last week and join hands with the Nepali Congress — the largest party in the country — to form a new alliance.

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” loses vote of confidence in Parliament.

Communist leader & CPN-UML chairman K P Sharma Oli, backed by Nepali Congress, set to take charge as new PM. pic.twitter.com/ui24lNB5Np

— Anish Singh (@anishsingh21)

Following the signing of a power-sharing agreement with the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the House, the CPN-UML, led by former prime minister K P Sharma Oli, withdrew support from the Prachanda-led administration last week.

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Dahal had been leading a shaky governing coalition since becoming prime minister in December 2022 following an inconclusive election where his party finished third. But he formed a new alliance and became its leader and the prime minister. He had to seek a vote of confidence in parliament five times since he became leader because of disagreements within his coalition partners.

Dahal, also known as Prachanda, or the “fierce one,” led a violent Maoist communist insurgency from 1996 to 2006. More than 17,000 people were killed and the status of many others remains unknown.

Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has already endorsed Oli as the next prime minister.

In the House of Representatives, the CPN-UML has 78 seats while the Nepali Congress has 89. With 167 votes in total, they are far stronger than the 138 needed to win a majority in the lower chamber.

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