Nepal politics: Nepal’s new Prime Minister, KP Sharma Oli, will face a trust vote on July 21, just a week after assuming office. Oli (72) is the leader of CPN-UML (Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist). He was appointed Prime Minister by President Ram Chandra Paudel on 14 July. This appointment took place after his predecessor Pushpa Kamal Dahal lost the trust vote in Parliament.
Time limit and purpose of vote of confidence
Prime Minister Oli, who took oath on July 15 for his fourth term, informed the Parliament Secretariat about his intention to seek an early trust vote. According to CPN-UML chief whip Mahesh Bartola, this trust vote is to ensure stability and enable effective governance. Bartola told ANI, “As per the Constitution, it is mandatory for a Prime Minister to take a vote of confidence within 30 days of assuming office. “Prime Minister Oli has decided to take this vote on July 21 to strengthen his work and make it easier.”
Earlier, on July 12, following Dahal’s defeat in the trust vote, President Ram Chandra Paudel had invited political parties in the Parliament of Nepal to stake claim for the post of Prime Minister under Article 76(2) of the Constitution, Oli On 16 July, it claimed majority support by collecting signatures of 165 MPs, with the support of Nepali Congress and smaller parties.
According to the Constitution of Nepal, the Prime Minister must receive the support of at least 138 members in the 275-member House of Representatives to assume office and must then seek a vote of confidence within 30 days.
Oli’s political career
Oli first became Prime Minister of Nepal in October 2015, soon after the enactment of the Constitution, and held the position until August 2016. He later held the office from February 2018 to May 2021 and again from May 2021 to July 2021. During his tenure, Oli faced several challenges, including the decision to dissolve Parliament, which was later overturned by the Supreme Court.
Under an agreement signed on July 2, Oli and Nepali Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba agreed to share power on a rotational basis until the next general elections in 2027, although details of the agreement have not been made public.