The Communist Party of Nepal, also known as Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), has withdrawn from the ruling coalition in Nepal, leaving Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, to seek a vote of confidence in parliament. This follows Dahal’s decision to back an opposition candidate for the upcoming presidential election, which has angered the UML.
This is the third party to leave the government since it was formed in December, after no party managed to secure a majority in the November parliamentary elections. Political instability and frequent changes in government have been a common occurrence in Nepal since it abolished its 239-year monarchy in 2008 and became a republic.
Dahal has held the post of prime minister three times, and is now looking to form a new coalition with the Nepali Congress party, the largest group in parliament. He has agreed to back their candidate for president, Ram Chandra Paudel, which has caused tension between the two parties.
The constitution states that Dahal must seek a vote of confidence within a month to secure the support of the majority of the 275 members in the House of Representatives. Bishnu Paudel, deputy prime minister in charge of finance and senior UML leader, said on Monday he and all eight ministers of his party will resign due to Dahal’s failure to “honour the consensus” that was reached while forming the government. Four other ministers have also quit the government over the same issue.
Political analysts believe that Dahal will win the confidence vote with support from the Congress party, and form a new coalition that includes Congress and other smaller groups. Prachanda has worked with the Congress before, and is more comfortable with them than he is with the UML. Members of both houses of parliament and members of seven provincial assemblies will cast their votes on March 9 to elect the president – a largely ceremonial position, though it can play a key role during political crises.
The withdrawal of the UML from Nepal’s ruling coalition has caused political turmoil in the country, with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal now having to seek a vote of confidence in parliament. This follows Dahal’s decision to back an opposition candidate for the upcoming presidential election, which has angered the UML.
Dahal is now looking to form a new coalition with the Nepali Congress party, the largest group in parliament, and has agreed to back their candidate for president, Ram Chandra Paudel. The constitution states that Dahal must seek a vote of confidence within a month to secure the support of the majority of the 275 members in the House of Representatives.
Bishnu Paudel, deputy prime minister in charge of finance and senior UML leader, said on Monday he and all eight ministers of his party will resign due to Dahal’s failure to “honour the consensus” that was reached while forming the government. Four other ministers have also quit the government over the same issue.
Political analysts believe that Dahal will win the confidence vote with support from the Congress party, and form a new coalition that includes Congress and other smaller groups. Members of both houses of parliament and members of seven provincial assemblies will cast their votes on March 9 to elect the president – a largely ceremonial position, though it can play a key role during political crises.
The political instability in Nepal is nothing new, as 11 different governments have ruled since it abolished its monarchy in 2008 and became a republic. Prachanda has held the post of prime minister three times, and is now looking to form a new coalition with the Nepali Congress party. He is likely to win the confidence vote and form a new government that includes Congress and other smaller groups.