Nepal PM Oli to seek vote of confidence on Sunday

KATHMANDU: Nepal's newly appointed Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli will take a vote of confidence in Parliament on July 21, as required by the Constitution, a media report quoted the chief whip of his party as saying on Wednesday.

The 72-year-old veteran leader was sworn in on Monday as the Himalayan nation's prime minister for the fourth time.

Prime Minister Oli decided to take a vote of confidence on Sunday, MyRepublica news portal reported, quoting Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) Chief Whip Mahesh Bertaula.

According to Nepal's Constitution, Oli needs to secure a vote of confidence from Parliament within 30 days of appointment, which he is likely to secure easily, as the minimum number to form a government in the 275-strong House of Representatives (HoR) is just 138.

The leader of Nepal's largest communist party was appointed as prime minister on Sunday by President Ram Chandra Paudel to lead the coalition government with the Nepali Congress (NC), the largest party in Parliament, apart from other smaller parties.

Oli succeeds Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda,' who lost the vote of confidence in the HoR last week, leading to the formation of the new government.

The CPN-UML Chairman now leads the new coalition government that faces the daunting challenge of providing political stability in the Himalayan nation.

Nepal has faced frequent political turmoil as the country has seen 14 governments in the past 16 years after the introduction of the Republican system.

Within hours of Oli's swearing-in, three advocates -- Deepak Adhikari, Khagendra Prasad Chapagain and Shailendra Kumar Gupta – filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court of Nepal challenging his appointment arguing that it was unconstitutional and sought its annulment.

The advocates argued that the president should call for forming a new government under Article 76 (3) if a government formed as per Article 76 (2) fails the floor test in the House of Representatives.

The apex court has set July 21 as the date for a preliminary hearing in the case -- the same day Oli will take the floor test in the Parliament.