In a major relief for Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal, he secured the vote of confidence for the third time. Dahal secured 157 votes in favor while 110 lawmakers stood against the vote of confidence. One of the lawmakers in the Nepali federal parliament abstained. A total of 268 votes were cast in today’s vote of confidence tabled by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
This is the third time that Prachanda sought a vote of confidence in the House in less since he assumed prime ministership in December 2022. According to constitutional provisions, a prime minister has to take a vote of confidence after an ally withdraws support to the ruling coalition.
This came nearly ten after Prachanda broke the alliance with two opposition parties and formed a new coalition government with KP Sharma Oli-led Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) party. Dahal, a former Maoist guerrilla leader in the mountainous nation, formed a coalition cabinet dominated by the Nepali Congress party as well as other smaller groups last year.
Why did "Prachanda" break the alliance?
According to Party officials Dahal, 69, wanted to remove some "non-performing" ministers including Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat, who was from the Nepali Congress, saying he had not done enough to boost growth of the $40 billion economy.
Mahat said the economic condition of the country is better now than last year. Dahal’s Maoist Centre party and the Nepali Congress are also claiming the chair of the upper house of parliament the National Council, a parliamentary body key to making new laws.
Dahal led a decade-long insurgency from 1996 which caused 17,000 deaths before he joined the mainstream under the 2006 peace deal overseen by the United Nations.
Nepal has had 13 governments since it abolished its 239-year-old monarchy in 2008 and became a republic.
(With inputs from agencies)
