Nepal's Opposition alliance urges state organs not to support Oli govt’s anti-constitutional activities

A Constitutional Bench of Nepal's Supreme Court on Friday heard 30 writ petitions against the dissolution of the lower house of Parliament and fixed Sunday as the next date of hearing.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari dissolved the 275-member House of Representatives on May 22 for the second time in five months and announced snap elections on November 12 and November 19 on the advice of Prime Minister Oli.

She rejected the bids of both Prime Minister Oli and the Opposition alliance's claims to form a government. Oli and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba had staked separate claims to the premiership, saying the “claims were insufficient.”The alliance of Nepali Congress (NC), CPN (Maoist Centre), the Madhav Kumar Nepal led-faction of the UML, the Upendra Yadav-led faction of Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) and the Rastriya Janamorcha Party held a joint meeting on Sunday, myrepulica.com reported.

The meeting was held at Deuba’s residence at Budhanilkantha in Kathmandu.

“We had staked claim to the post of Prime Minister with the support of 149 lawmakers. The government cannot decide on dissolving the House in this case,” reads a joint press statement of the Opposition alliance. At present, 136 votes are needed to form a majority government.

The alliance also urged all the state organs and institutions not to support the government in its "unconstitutional" and "anti-democratic" acts. “We believe that the Supreme Court will pass the verdict in our favour,” further reads the statement.

Nepal's Opposition alliance on May 24 filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court demanding restoration of the House of Representatives and appointment of Deuba as the Prime Minister. Others had also filed petitions against the dissolution of the House of Representatives.

Oli on Friday urged all political parties to form an all-party government and hold fresh elections, as he tried to justify the controversial dissolution of the House of Representatives twice by the President, saying a "functionless" Parliament turned out to be the main source of instability in the country.

Earlier on December 20, the President had dissolved the Parliament and called snap polls on April 30 and May 10. However, two months later, the Rana-led Constitutional Bench on February 23 overturned the decision and reinstated the House.

Constitutional experts have criticised Oli and Bhandari for their complicity in trampling upon the Constitution.

Nepal plunged into a political crisis on December 20 last year after President Bhandari dissolved the House and announced fresh elections on April 30 and May 10 at the recommendation of Prime Minister Oli, amidst a tussle for power within the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP).

Oli''s move to dissolve the House sparked protests from a large section of the NCP led by his rival Pushpa Kamal Dahal ''Prachanda''.