With the expiration of the deadline to stake claim for the Prime Minister’s post, Nepal President Ram Chandra Paudel has appointed KP Sharma Oli (72) as the next Prime Minister.
Oli is the single leader who has staked his claim for the post in support of the Nepali Congress.
Nepal President Paudel called the political parties in the Nepali Parliament on Friday evening to stake a claim for the Prime Minister’s post after Pushpa Kamal Dahal lost a confidence motion. The President had called for a claim of stake as per Article 76 (2) of the Constitution.
“Honourable President Shree Ram Chandra Paudel as per Article 76 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal has appointed member of the House of Representatives KP Sharma Oli as the Prime Minister of Nepal,” the President’s Office said in a statement.
According to the statement, the oath ceremony for Oli has been scheduled for 11 am (NST) on Monday.
Along with Oli, a group of ministers will also be inducted into the cabinet for which the parties are holding rounds of discussions.
Oli and Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba jointly signed an application for the President to appoint the UML chief as the new Prime Minister on Friday evening, right after the results of the vote of confidence.
Oli, with the backing of the Nepali Congress and smaller parties, had submitted the signatures of 165 lawmakers, claiming majority support in the Parliament for the Prime Ministership.
The Constitution of Nepal mandates a Prime Minister to cross a majority of 138 in the 275-strong House of Representatives to take over as Prime Minister. Oli became the Prime Minister for the first time in October 2015, soon after the promulgation of the constitution that year, and remained in power until August 2016.
Moreover, the Prime Minister is also mandated to take a vote of confidence within 30 days of appointment to prove his support.
Following the general elections in 2017, Oli, who was able to usher in nationalist sentiment among the people siding with China, formed a government and remained in power from February 2018 to May 2021.
Oli again was appointed as Prime Minister under the constitutional provision of 76 (3) from May 2021 to July 2021 after staking claim as the parliamentary leader of the largest party in Parliament.
While in power for about three years, Oli dissolved Parliament twice, which was reinstated by the Supreme Court issuing a mandamus.
The Nepali Congress and CPN-UML (Communist Party of Nepal- Unified Marxist Leninist) signed an agreement on July 2 to divide 9 and 8 ministries, respectively, on the council of ministry.
According to the July 2 deal between Congress chief Deuba and UML chairman, Oli, the two parties will lead the government on a rotational basis until the next general elections in 2027. But, the deal has not been made public to date.