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Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli took the oath of office and secrecy on Monday.

President Ram Chandra Paudel administered the oath of office and secrecy to PM Oli amidst a special ceremony organized at Sheetal Niwas this afternoon.

President Paudel appointed CPN-UML Chairman Oli as the prime minister as per Article 76 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal.

With this Oli has become the prime minister of Nepal for the fourth time.

He became the prime minister for the first time on October 11, 2015.

Later, he was appointed as the prime minister for the second time on February 15, 2018 and third time on May 13, 2021.

Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav, speaker of the House of Representatives Devraj Ghimire, Chief Justice Bishwombar Prasad Shrestha, National Assembly Chairman Narayan Prasad Dahal, outgoing prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, former prime ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba, Jhalanath Khanal, Baburam Bhattarai, lawmakers, representatives of diplomatic missions and chiefs of security agencies among others were present on the occasion.

After taking the oath of office and secrecy, Oli expanded his Cabinet

The Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, the first and second largest parties in Parliament, have agreed to form a national unity government. This coalition aims to amend the constitution adopted in 2015. 

According to the agreement, UML chair KP Sharma Oli will lead the government initially to push for constitutional amendments and then hand over power to NC leader Sher Bahadur Deuba to conduct the 2027 elections. Cross-party leaders acknowledge that amending key provisions of the constitution will be challenging. The NC-UML alliance anticipates strong opposition from the CPN (Maoist Center), Madhes-based parties, and other groups that support federalism, secularism, and identity-based federalism.

The new alliance needs to muster a two-thirds majority in Parliament for any constitutional amendment which seems feasible. The tentative agreement between NC and UML includes changes to the current electoral system, which many believe is one of the main causes of political instability and frequent government changes.

The two parties are of the view that the current mixed system of first-past-the-post and proportional representation makes it difficult to achieve a single-party majority. While leaders of the two major parties say that frequent coalition changes since the 2022 election highlight this issue, the electoral system is not solely to blame for instability. The new government also plans to remove the provision of secularism from the constitution, leaving the space blank. Additionally, NC and UML have agreed to revisit the current three-tier federal structure, considering it a significant burden onto the state. 

Despite their push for a national unity government, it is unlikely to materialize fully, as the Maoist party and the Rastriya Swatantra Party have decided not to join the future Oli-led government. However, the NC-UML coalition expects to achieve two-thirds support in Parliament with the help of fringe parties. NC and UML are reaching out to fringe parties in order to increase the strength of the government. 

It remains to be seen whether the fringe parties would wholly buy into the propositions put forward by NC and UML. Former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal’s party, CPN (Unified Socialist), criticized the latest coalition, likening it to tyranny. 

Notably, the leadership of both NC and UML have not yet held intra-party consultations about the content of the constitutional amendments. Shankar Pokharel, UML general secretary of the NC-UML coalition, emphasized their primary agenda is constitutional amendment and called on all parties to join the national unity government.

The CPN (Maoist Center) has expressed strong opposition to changing the electoral system, viewing it as a regressive step. The Rastriya Prajatantra Party, however, views the agreement between NC and UML positively, believing that the current constitution cannot address the country’s problems.

Background of NC-UML coalition 

In 2015, during the constitution-making process, NC and UML formed a coalition government that successfully delivered the constitution. Initially, NC was supposed to support UML for the coalition government, but it backtracked on its commitment, straining the relationship between the two parties. This tension peaked when UML chair Oli dissolved Parliament in 2020.

Over the past two years, NC leader Deuba was reluctant to engage with Oli, fearing it might affect NC’s relationship with the Maoist Center. When the Maoists sided with UML in March, NC leaders including Shekhar Koirala began reaching out to UML, but results were slow. There were voices within both parties advocating for a coalition to ensure government stability, though some were against it due to the competitive nature of the parties and concerns about weakening the opposition.

At the same time, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane was digging the files of some NC leaders accused in various corruption cases. Lately, with the surfacing of various corruption scandals, it was natural for the ranks of NC-UML to be fearful. As more scandals like the Giribandhu Tea Estate began to unravel, the situation became increasingly uncertain. Lamichhane had told Parliament on Monday that preparations were underway to form a powerful commission to investigate 25 corruption scandals.

Talks between NC and UML progressed three months ago  through a facilitator when Oli was in Jhapa for a week-long visit.  But the contents of the meetings were kept highly secret. On Saturday, Deuba and Oli held a candid and open discussion at Balkot, Oli’s residence. On Monday night, two top leaders signed in a document of agreement which remains top secret. Before the Balkot meeting, two secret meetings happened in Kathmandu. 

Despite initial distrust, several rounds of talks led Oli and Deuba to agree that the country faced a crisis due to constitutional flaws and the Dahal government’s mishandling of the situation. Oli was particularly frustrated with the Dahal-led government’s monopoly on decision-making, especially regarding the budget. As a result, UML withdrew its support from the government, requiring the prime minister to take a vote of confidence within 30 days. The formation of a new Oli-led government now depends on Prime Minister Dahal’s actions. Actually, Oli was in favor of keeping the agreement in secret with a plan to complete the entire process within a month but it was leaked in the media, that is why there was slow progress on Tuesday. 

Was Dahal kept in the dark?

Increased meetings between Oli and Dahal had raised concerns in Baluwatar. The prime minister was briefed by the Home Minister about these informal meetings. 

A recent meeting in Balkot prompted Prime Minister Dahal to invite Oli for talks, where Dahal asked Oli if he was forming a government with NC. Oli dismissed the reports, focusing on left unity until the general elections. However, after NC and UML agreed to form a new government, Dahal invited Oli again, urging transparency about the agreement with NC. 

Let’s briefly talk about the coalition of politics mainly after 2022. In the 2022 national elections, Dahal’s CPN (Maoist Center) emerged as the third-largest party with 32 seats. Despite an initial proposal from UML to form a coalition government, NC claimed the leadership and did not support the Maoists, despite an electoral alliance. 

Eventually, UML supported Dahal for the premiership, but he switched alliances multiple times between NC and UML. Dahal believed he could remain in power by playing between the first and second largest parties and was confident that external forces would not allow Oli to become prime minister.

Meanwhile, the leaders of both major parties were tired of the ‘opportunism’ and ‘turncoat’ character shown by Dahal, the third power in the parliament. Lately, Prime Minister Dahal had even started publicly speaking about the ‘magic number’. He began expressing the sentiment that he could remain prime minister for the entire five years by playing between UML and Congress.

Dahal’s expressions certainly unsettled Oli, eager to climb the chair of power, and Deuba, who wanted to become prime minister once again, sooner or later. Dahal’s statements violated the ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ of rotation with Oli. Oli had not taken Dahal from the alliance with NC to let him be prime minister alone for five years.

Had he understood the situation, Dahal could have found it easier to ally with NC. Even in an alliance with NC, Dahal would have had to give up the prime minister’s position to Deuba after two and a half years. Possibly, Dahal chose the difficult and survival path post-election? However, even after collaborating with UML, the ongoing dialogue with NC did not create an environment of trust. Meanwhile, Dahal also signaled a change in strategy. He began demanding that Oli allow him to run the entire period with the condition of unifying the party until the next election and stepping down from active politics to become the president. Oli clearly did not like this proposal.

In a political environment where betrayal has become a competition, Oli took the initiative this time. He went to Baluwatar, whispered sweet assurances in Dahal’s ear, and gave form to the new relationship. Dahal’s practice of betrayal with the magical number has become a strong fear of turning into a political culture, of which today’s players of the betrayal game could also become victims someday.

Future course

It seems likely that Oli will become prime minister. Dahal might attempt to break the agreement by offering the prime ministership position to Deuba, but this is unlikely to succeed. The constitutional amendment process will be challenging, potentially unleashing tensions. It remains to be seen how NC and UML will convince all stakeholders to support the amendments.

The UML has requested Prime Minister Dahal to resign by Wednesday. A leader revealed that the UML Secretariat meeting on Tuesday decided to ask Prime Minister Dahal to step down. 

This would pave the way for the formation of a new government under Article 76 (2) of the Constitution, according to the agreement between the UML and the Congress.

The UML has also invited other parties to join in forming a national consensus government led by Oli. According to sources, some parties including CPN (Maoist Center) could suffer a split in the run-up to the constitution amendment process.

Former Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman Sharma Oli has said national interest could be served better with unity among all political parties.

All parties' unity counts for the country's territorial unity, independence and national interest.

Chairman Oli was speaking at a program organized to inaugurate the ward office building for Dodhara Chandani Municipality-6 of Kanchapur district.

"Unity is essential also for curbing corruption and taking action against those involved in financial sleaze," he underscored.

He argued that development activities could not move forward in absence of political concord. Oli further viewed the importance of public service is reflected on how effectively they are delivered to the people. "I take initiative to solve the problems facing the people here," the former Prime Minister vowed.

On the occasion, Mayor of Dodhara Chandani Municipality, Kishor Limbu, sought UML Chairman Oli's cooperation on resolving problems facing the local people.

"Mahakali River erosion is a severe problem here. Shuklaphanta Reserve creates obstruction on development activities," he said.

Meanwhile, Chairman Oli inspected the four-lane motorable bridge over the Mahakali River and the site where the dry port is proposed.

Kathmandu: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and the main opposition leader, CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli, had a meeting on Friday at the Prime Minister’s Office in Singha Durbar. They discussed two important issues: the upcoming visit of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to Nepal and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Bill.

Guterres is scheduled to visit Nepal on Oct 29 and will address a joint meeting of the Federal Parliament on Oct 31. Prime Minister Dahal aims to pass the transitional justice bill before Guterres’ arrival, but this requires the support of the main opposition. 

While there is agreement on most aspects of the bill, the major point of contention is the provision granting immunity to individuals accused of murder, considering murder as a human rights violation. The government is attempting to address issues related to murder through reconciliation. They plan to reclassify murder as a human rights violation rather than a serious crime, which has the support of the Congress and Maoists in the ruling coalition. However, UML has not accepted this change.

UML whip Mahesh Bartaula says they are open to reaching an agreement on the bill before the UN Secretary-General’s visit, but he accuses the government of creating tension instead of cooperation. “Prime Minister Dahal’s decision to grant a holiday on People’s War Day contributes to this tension,” he says.

A sub-committee under the Law, Justice, and Human Rights Committee has prepared a report on amending the ‘Bill to amend the Commission for Investigation of Disappeared Persons, Truth and Reconciliation Act’ through consensus over the past month and a half. Bartaula, a member of the sub-committee, says most issues have been resolved, except for the topic of reconciliation in cases of serious incidents like murder.

UML’s stance is to not use reconciliation to absolve individuals of murder except in cases of double confrontations. They argue that such cases should be prosecuted. 

The issue of child soldiers during the armed conflict is another concern. While an agreement refers to these children as “connected parties of the conflict”, UML believes this issue is being unnecessarily prolonged for political reasons and calls for additional discussions.

Chair of the Human Rights Committee and CPN (Maoist Center) leader Bimala Subedi expressed optimism that the bill will move forward, emphasizing the need for consensus to resolve this sensitive issue. She highlighted the importance of political-level consensus, as it’s a long-standing matter. 

Four issues remain to be discussed within the committee, and Subedi believes that a positive environment for resolution is now present, especially following the meeting between the Prime Minister and the main opposition leader. 

Prime Minister Dahal had previously attempted to pass this bill in time he went to the United Nations General Assembly—to no avail.

CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma has come down heavily on the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led ruling coalition, likening it to a slow poison for the republic and questioning its commitment to democracy, the Constitution and its conduct of foreign relations. 

Oli launched a multi-pronged attack against the Dahal-led dispensation through his address to the House of Representatives on Tuesday, saying, “This government cannot administer one fatal dose (to democracy and the republican order). Nonetheless, it is acting as a slow poison for democracy and the Constitution. 

He accused the Dahal-led dispensation of suppressing the voices of the people and conspiring to render the Parliament useless by not giving businesses to the House and its committees. 

Oli went on to elaborate the characteristics of the dispensation thus, “While this government does not do what the Constitution has told it to do, it does what the Charter has barred it from doing—without fail”. 

Referring to the recent Cabinet decision to declare Fagun 1—the day the Maoist insurgency was waged 27 years ago (13 Feb 1996)—as a public holiday, the UML chair accused the government of glorifying violence through the move. The decision to celebrate the day has further hurt the sentiments of conflict victims, Oli said, demanding that the next Cabinet meeting withdraw the decision. 

He also protested the government move to grant blanket amnesty to criminals in the name of marking Constitution Day and turning the President into an entity that does the government’s bidding. 

Oli also took the government to task on ongoing investigations into corruption cases. The government opened Lalita Niwas scam files with much hullabaloo, now it is finding it hard to close them, Oli claimed, “The (60-kg) gold-smuggling case is also giving the government a hard time.” 

The government’s good governance campaign is actually aimed at shielding smugglers and murderers, he went on. 

This dispensation has appointed those candidates, who failed exams for district judges, as well as those who helped out election candidates from the ruling dispensation as judges, he maintained, adding that it is futile to hope for a better performance from this government. 

The conduct of diplomacy also came under Oli’s crosshairs as the latter blamed PM Dahal for failing to raise Nepal’s concerns during his recent visits to the United Nations, China and India.   

CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has described party Vice-Chair Subash Chandra Nembang as not only his party Vice-Chair, but also a close friend and comrade-in-arms.

The UML Chair took to the social media in paying tributes to Nembang and wrote: "We will always remember the contribution he made for drafting the democratic constitution. Heartfelt condolences to a soft-spoken, polite and decent colleague Subash Nembang!"

Nembang succumbed to a heart attack at 1:40 am today while receiving treatment at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj. He was 71.

CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has demanded the formation of a high-level judicial commission to investigate the 100 kg gold smuggling case.

The investigation required a judicial commission to reach the root in the scam, said the former Prime Minister at a press conference organized here today in the party office.

It was not possible to smuggle the gold of such a big amount without the involvement of people in higher ranks, he claimed.  

In another context, Chair Oli blamed that the government arrested lawmaker Sunil Sharma in a fake academic certificate case in its attempt to lessen the protest against it.

The UML has been obstructing the Parliament demanding the formation of a high-level commission to investigate the gold smuggling.

A high-level team of Communist Party of China (CPC) and main opposition CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli held a meeting on Tuesday.

A team led by Yuan Jiajun, who is also a politburo member and party secretary of Chongqing city held a meeting with Oli at the UML’s party office in Chyasal.

During the meeting, they discussed bilateral interests of the two countries, communist party of the two countries and Chinese projects, according to a source.

They also discussed the reasons for the slow progress of BRI projects.

The team that arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday held separate meetings with President Ram Chandra Paudel, acting Prime Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN (Maoist Center) leaders among others.

As Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal was in Italy to take part in a program of the United Nations, the Chinese leaders held a virtual meeting with him.

CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli left for Cambodia.

A six-member team headed by Oli left for Cambodia last night to observe the election to be held there, informed UML Publicity Department Chief Rajendra Gautam.

The delegation comprises Oli's spouse Radhika Shakya, party's deputy general secretary Bishnu Rimal, Oli's personal secretary Rajesh Bajhracharya.

Chair Oli is scheduled to return home on July 24.