Nepal's newly elected Prime Minister, K P Sharma Oli, on Sunday (July 21), reasserted his dominance in Parliament by securing 188 votes, 50 more than the required number to win the vote of confidence.
Oli, who last week assumed office for the fourth time, received 188 votes in favor, while 74 lawmakers voted against his coalition government during the vote of confidence motion. One member abstained, out of the total 263 present.
It is pertinent to note that Oli, 72, needed 138 votes out of 275 to pass the floor test in the House of Representatives (HoR).
Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire announced Prime Minister Oli's victory
Significantly, the motion seeking a vote of confidence was tabled by PM Oli as the Parliament meeting commenced. Thereafter, the Speaker allotted around two hours for HoR members and representatives from both ruling and opposition parties to discuss the motion. He then gave time for the Prime Minister to respond to the issues raised by HoR members, covering political stability and the coalition government's vision forward.
Addressing the issues raised, Oli stated, “I was not and will not get involved in corruption, nor will I tolerate it if anyone practices it.” He highlighted that the two larger parties, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, came together to maintain political stability, combat corruption, and ensure good governance. The Prime Minister added, “This coalition government will create a reliable ecosystem for stability, development, and good governance.”
Further, it is pertinent to note that post the PM's deliberation, the voting process had commenced, which saw Oli securing the confidence motion with remarkable margin.
Supporters of Oli's party included the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Lokatantrik Samajwadi Party, and Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal. Those who voted against Oli included the CPN-Maoist Centre, CPN-Unified Socialist, Rashtriya Swotantra Party, and Rastriya Prajatantra Party.
About Nepal's newly elected coalition government
K. P. Sharma Oli, CPN-UML chairman, who took the oath as Prime Minister of Nepal earlier this week during a swearing-in ceremony organized at 11 a.m. at Shital Niwas, the main building of Rashtrapati Bhawan, secured the top post with the backing of NC president Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Oli, who submitted the signatures of 165 House of Representatives (HoR) members in his support earlier, after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda lost the vote of confidence in Nepal's Parliament, received the backing of 88 Nepali Congress (NC) members, along with 77 from his Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) party.
However, it is pertinent to note that the coalition backing also comes with a seven-point deal inked among the leaders last week. The two leaders agreed that the remaining term of the Parliament would be shared between them, turn by turn. In the first phase, Oli will become the Prime Minister for 18 months as per the agreement, and then the other will take over.
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