Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' faced a major setback as he lost the confidence vote in the parliament. After 19 months in power, he had to step down. The withdrawal of support by the CPN-UML, led by former Prime Minister K.P Sharma, necessitated the confidence vote. As a result, Dahal was left with limited choices: resign immediately or face the confidence vote within a month. The vote took place on Friday, where he was defeated.
This was the fifth time Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' faced a no-confidence vote in parliament. In the past four attempts, he managed to secure the confidence vote. Dahal's largest coalition ally, the CPN-UML, withdrew support on July 3rd. Since becoming Prime Minister on December 25, 2022, Dahal had been leading a minority government and, about 19 months later, his government fell. The 69-year-old Prachanda received 63 votes in the 275-member House of Representatives (HoR). There were 194 votes against the motion. At least 138 votes were needed to win the confidence vote.
This is the number game of Nepal's House
The largest party in Nepal's Lower House, the Nepali Congress, formed a power-sharing agreement with K.P Sharma Oli's party, which led to their departure from the current ruling coalition. In this circumstance, Prachanda's Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) has just 32 seats, while the CPN-UML has 78 and the Nepali Congress has 89. The NC and CPN-UML coalition now have a strength of 167 seats.
Will Deuba and Oli Return to Power?
In Nepal's 275-member House of Representatives, 138 members are needed to form a government, while the NC and CPN-UML coalition has the strength of 167 members, which is far beyond the lower house's majority mark. This raises speculations that Deuba and Oli could make a political comeback. According to the agreement between the NC and CPN-UML, Oli and Deuba will alternately hold the PM seat for three years. Sher Bahadur Deuba, the president of the Nepali Congress, has already extended support to Oli as the next prime minister.
