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The CPN-UML has said that President Ram Chandra Paudel should initiate the government formation process as per Article 76(2) of the Constitution after the incumbent Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “loses the crucial floor test” in the Parliament on July 12.

A meeting of the party’s Secretariat meeting has taken such a decision. After the meeting, UML leader Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said: “There are no constitutional and legal ambiguities regarding the government formation process, there are precedents vis-a-vis government formation as per Article 76(2) of the constitution.” 

Furthermore, he said the NC and the UML will participate in the government on an equal basis.

It should be noted that NC and UML, the largest and the second largest party in the Parliament, have agreed to form a national unity government to address burning issues facing the country. 

Against this backdrop, the UML meeting has decided to strive for bringing in “more and more parties” in the government. While addressing the party meeting, party Chairperson KP Sharma Oli said there has not been any concrete agreement with the NC about forming a commission for suggesting ways to form the next government.

According to the UML chair, there has been a principled position on constitution amendment but no discussion has taken place (between the two parties) on specific issues concerning the amendment. Oli accused ‘some forces’ of trying to create confusion about the NC-UML agreement.

We have realized that some provisions in the Constitution should be amended in keeping with changing times, he said. Oli is of the view that Prime Minister Dahal, at the helm of a minority government after the UML’s recent withdrawal, is still working to prevent UML from forming the next government by refusing to step down.

The NC and UML have agreed to form a national unity government but the text of the agreement has not been made public yet. As things stand, Oli is supposed to become the PM in the first phase and then hand over power to Deuba for the remaining term. PM Dahal is seeking a vote of confidence on Friday amid speculations that odds are stacked against him.  

Meanwhile, the UML has issued a whip to all its members in the House of Representatives (HoR) to mandatorily attend a session of the lower house scheduled for July 12 and to vote against PM Dahal.

The frequent change of governments has been an usual phenomenon in Nepal. The country has not been able to see political stability even after promulgating the new constitution and holding two periodic elections. Although Pushpa Kamal Dahal has been at the helm of government since the November 2022 elections, despite his party finishing a distant third in the parliamentary polls, he has reshuffled cabinet 18 times by changing his coalition partners. In this scenario, the recent agreement between the two largest parties in the House of Representatives, Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML, to form a coalition government offers some hope for a more stable future. 

The 2015 constitution, which has been hailed by Nepali leaders as among the best in the world, has contributed to political instability. No single party has been able to secure a clear majority, leading to a series of fragile coalition governments. The agreement between the two major parties to form a consensus government by bringing other parties on board, however, signals a shift toward more stable governance. This agreement, which covers issues ranging from constitution amendments to the formation of a lasting government at both center and provinces, has raised optimism among Nepalis who have long yearned for political stability and economic progress.

The new government has some pressing issues to deal with. The two parties have pledged to form a committee to amend the constitution. The amendments should address all the issues that are hindering implementation of federalism. The coalition must work toward amending the constitution to address existing barriers and create a more effective governance structure. Completing the peace process through appropriate transitional laws is crucial for national reconciliation and stability. It has been one of the major contentious issues for the three major parties in parliament. Likewise, improving administrative efficiency and public services should be a top priority to restore public trust in the government. Once the political situation becomes stable, it is expected to spur economic activities and create jobs, which is essential to address the growing discontent among the people, particularly the youth.

The new coalition must rise above personal and party interests. This union of two largest parties in the country is not only crucial for domestic progress but also to present a strong front against increasing external influences that threaten Nepal's sovereignty. The success of this coalition could be the turning point that the country has long awaited, paving the way for sustainable development and renewed hope for the people.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is preparing to seek a vote of confidence within 30 days as per the constitutional provisions.

During the Cabinet meeting held on Thursday, Prime Minister Dahal informed that he will seek a vote of confidence from the Parliament as per the legal provisions, government spokesperson and Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma said.

"The government will not resign and will also not cross 30 days. The Prime Minister will face the Parliament according to the constitutional provisions. He does not have any plans to resign, " she said, adding, "Though the date for seeking a vote of confidence has not been fixed yet, he will take a vote of confidence as soon as possible."

The Dahal-led government faced a crisis after the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML announced that they will form a national consensus government.

The ruling coalition partner UML had withdrawn its support extended to the government on Wednesday.

The eight ministers of the UML tendered their resignation on Wednesday itself.

Both the parties--Nepali Congress and CPN-UML--have been urging the Prime Minister to put in papers and pave the way for forming a national government.

Issuing a statement on Thursday, UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel urged Prime Minister Dahal not to make any decisions that will have long-term effect.

Madhav Nepal has been re-elected as the chairman of the CPN (Unified Socialist).

Nepal was re-elected as the chairman of the party from the general convention held in Kathmandu.

Similarly, Ghanshyam Bhusal has been elected as the party's general secretary and Jhalanath Khanal as the respected leader.

The party is currently holding its 10th general convention in Kathmandu.

The Unified Socialist had decided to form 299-Central Committee with 21 office bearers from the 10th general convention.

The Parliamentary Special Committee investigating the cooperative fraud case has summoned the Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for a discussion.

Chairman of the Committee, Surya Bahadur Thapa, announced that the decision was made during the ninth meeting held on Thursday.

Earlier, the committee held discussions with Auditor General Toyam Raya, Director General of the Department of Money Laundering Kamal Bhattarai, and Registrar at the Department of Cooperatives Pitambar Ghimire.

CPN-UML leaders have resigned on Wednesday.

They submitted their resignation to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal by reaching Baluwatar this evening.

The UML leaders tendered their resignation after a national consensus government was going to be formed under the leadership of UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli with the support of the Nepali Congress.

They had reached Balkot prior to giving the resignation.

On the occasion, UML Chair Oli briefed them about the current political situation.

A Secretariat meeting of the UML held on Wednesday had urged the Prime Minister to put in papers within 24 hours and paved the way for forming a national government.

The UML decided to withdraw the support to the government after Prime Minister Dahal refused to step down from the post.

The CPN-UML has appealed to all the political parties in the Parliament to participate in the national consensus government.

A Secretariat meeting held at the party office on Tuesday appealed to all the parties to participate in the national consensus government to be formed under UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, Deputy General Secretary Pradeep Gyawali said.

Similarly, the party has urged Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to resign by tomorrow​​​​​​.

The CPN-UML has urged Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal to resign by tomorrow.

A Secretariat meeting held at the party office on Tuesday appealed to the Prime Minister to pave the way for the formation of a new government as per Article 76 (2) of the Constitution, UML Deputy General Secretary Pradeep Gyawali said.

He said that the Prime Minister should put in his papers and pave the way as the two parties have already reached an agreement to form a national consensus government.

Meanwhile, the UML has appealed to all the parties to help in forming a national consensus government.