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The Nepali Congress (NC) has appealed to all political parties in the Federal Parliament to support its candidate for the presidential election, Ram Chandra Paudel. The election of the President is taking place on March 9. The party wrote to all parties in the Federal Parliament on Monday, requesting them to vote for the party candidate during the election, according to NC Chief Secretary Krishna Prasad Poudel. Paudel is a consensus candidate of eight political parties: NC, CPN (Maoist Centre), Janata Samajbadi Party, CPN (Unified Socialist), Democratic Socialist Party, Janamat Party, Rastriya Janamorcha and the Nagarik Unmukti Party for the presidential election. He filed his nomination on February 25. Similarly, the CPN-UML, which decided to quit the Maoist-led government on Monday owing to the latest political equation over the presidential election, has fielded Subash Chandra Nembang as the party candidate for the presidential election.

The Election Commission has made public the code of conduct for the election of President and Vice-President on Tuesday. The code of conduct will come into effect from tomorrow, the EC said. The poll body said that the code conduct was published in the Nepal Gazette on August 29. The code of conduct would apply to Nepal government, ministers, staffers of federal, provincial and local governments, security agencies, security personnel, civil servants, candidates, representatives of the candidates, political parties, their sister organizations, people holding public posts, voters and media persons among others. The Election Commission is scheduled to publish the final list of the candidates who have registered their nominations for the presidential election today. Nepali Congress senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel and CPN-UML leader Subash Nembang have filed their candidacies for the election. The election is scheduled for March 9.

CPN-UML has pulled out of the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led coalition government over a presidential candidate dispute. Days after the Rastriya Prajatantra Party quit the government, the UML ministers also tendered their resignation. UML was the coalition linchpin that elevated Dahal to power for the third time on Dec 25 last year. But the coalition broke down within just two months after the prime minister refused to back UML’s presidential candidate. 

With UML and RPP out of the government, and another coalition partner, Rastriya Swatantra Party, having previously recalled its ministers over the citizenship controversy of its leader Rabi Lamichhane, 16 ministries are now without ministers. As per article 100 of the constitution, the prime minister should now take a vote of confidence from Parliament.

The article states: “In case the political party, which the Prime Minister represents, is divided or a political party in coalition government withdraws its support, the Prime Minister shall table a motion in the House of Representatives for a vote of confidence within 30 days.”

Experts, however, say that Dahal doesn’t have the luxury of taking 30 days to take Parliament’s floor test, as the major parties that supported him have pulled out from his government.  Lamichhane’s RSP is the only party that has not decided to withdraw its support to the Dahal government, despite recalling its ministers. 

Constitutional expert Bipin Adhikari says this is not a normal situation for the prime minister. “Dahal’s major coalition partners have quit, so he must take the vote of confidence without any delay.” Without the trust vote, Adhikari adds, the prime minister, who has essentially lost the majority, cannot engage in major parliamentary business. 

Dahal was appointed prime minister with the support of 169 members in the 275-strong House of Representatives. The UML (78) and RPP (14) together made 92 votes.  Dahal’s party had secured only 32 seats in the parliamentary election held on November 20 last year. Without the UML and RPP support, his government has been rendered into a minority.  

But with the main opposition, Nepali Congress, and other fringe parties behind Dahal, he is confident about saving his premiership.   Preliminary talks are already under way to form a new coalition. 

A Cabinet meeting has started at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singhadurbar on Monday. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal called the Cabinet meeting after the eight ministers of the CPN-UML tender their resignation. Earlier this afternoon, the UML had decided to pull out of the government. After the UML, Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Rastriya Swatantra Party quit the government, only the CPN (Maoist Center) and Janamat Party are in the government.