Submit your Article

The CPN-UML has issued a whip to all its members in the House of Representatives to mandatorily attend a Parliament meeting on Friday.

As Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is scheduled to seek a  vote of confidence on Friday, the party has directed all its lawmakers to mandatorily attend the meeting and vote against him, Congress Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak informed.

The CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government fell into minority after the CPN-UML and the Nepali Congress reached an agreement to form a national consensus government.

The UML has already issued a whip to all its members of the House of Representatives to attend a Parliament meeting scheduled for Friday and vote against Prime Minister Dahal.

Preparations are underway to form a new government under the headship of UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli by removing Dahal from the government.

In the 275-member House of Representatives, 138 seats are required for a majority.

The first and second largest parties of the Parliament Nepali Congress has 88 seats and UML has 79 seats.

The new alliance of the UML-NC has the support of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Janata Samajbadi Party, Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal, Nagarik Unmukti Party and Democratic Socialist Party.

The CPN (Maoist Center), CPN (Unified Socialist) and Rastraiya Swatantra Party are in favor of the Dahal-led government.

Embattled Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is more than certain to lose the confidence vote on July 12. However, as he is determined not to step down easily, one thing is clear: There won’t be a smooth, amicable transition of power.

From the parliament’s lectern, Dahal is expected to criticize CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba for their surprise alliance, which reduced his government to a minority. The Maoist prime minister may accuse them of political backstabbing, question their political morality, and warn against their plan to amend the constitution. Yet, does Dahal have the moral high ground to criticize NC and UML?

Indeed, it would have been better if NC and UML had made the secret agreement's text public, but they did not. But a careful review of Dahal’s 10-year journey since the 2015 constitution shows he has no grounds to complain about betrayal by NC and UML.

Let’s revisit some instances where Dahal used NC and UML after one another to his advantage. After the promulgation of the constitution in 2015, Oli became the new prime minister with support from Dahal, whose party was in third place. But by July 2016, Dahal withdrew support from Oli and aligned with the NC to form a new government and become prime minister for the second time. Despite being in coalition with NC, Dahal later secretly signed a deal with UML for an electoral alliance, betraying NC.

In 2018, Dahal merged his party with CPN-UML to form the Nepal Communist Party, aiming to lead the powerful communist party. When Oli denied him the full-fledged party presidency, Dahal campaigned to remove Oli from power. This intra-party feud led to the dissolution of Parliament, for which all senior NCP leaders share responsibility. An agreement between Deuba and Dahal to lead the government in rotation resulted in more power struggles. 

After the 2022 national elections, where the Maoists secured only 32 of 275 seats, it was natural for NC to claim government leadership as the largest party. But Dahal, after tough bargaining, aligned with UML to become prime minister, only to betray UML in the presidential elections by supporting NC candidate Ram Chandra Paudel.

There may have been hidden factors forcing Dahal to support Paudel, but it was still a betrayal to UML. In March of this year, Dahal again ditched NC without warning and allied with UML. Just a few weeks ago, Dahal publicly suggested the government could last the full five-year tenure if they navigated between the first and second largest parties. His penchant for switching sides to suit his convenience is not hidden, as he has often demonstrated over the years. Several of Dahal’s former Maoist comrades, including former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai, have accused him of being a power-hungry individual with little to no regard for party ideology.      

Certainly there is no shortage of moral decay and corruption within NC and UML, but should anyone point the finger at or cry foul over their alliance, Dahal should be the last person. 

Dahal simply lacks the moral ground to accuse NC and UML of political immorality. Instead, he should be grateful for their support, which allowed him to lead the government despite waning support for the Maoists. In a coalition, even a small party can lead, but based on the people's mandate, the Maoists should have been in opposition, rebuilding their position. Doors may not be completely closed for him; he could become prime minister again if a rift emerges between NC and UML.

The best option for Dahal would have been to resign once UML withdrew its support. It is perceived that he is trying to influence President Paudel to initiate the government formation process through Article 76(3) of the constitution, making Deuba the prime minister. However, it is unlikely as the process should start from the initial articles of the constitution. Dahal has not publicly stated this, but his close associates suggest the President should appoint a new prime minister per Article 76(3). President Paudel has indicated to Oli and Deuba that he would begin the process from Article 76(2).

While an NC-UML government may not ensure stability, Dahal should wait. After a long gap, the first and second largest parties have pledged to provide political stability and address economic woes. The Maoists now have the chance to play the opposition role, and Dahal should seize this opportunity to rebuild his party. There is no reason for Dahal to be shocked by the NC-UML agreement.

Two-thirds of the House of Representatives members now support the agreement between the Nepali Congress (NC) and the CPN-UML to form a national unity government, though the specifics of the agreement remain undisclosed. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s major coalition partners, the CPN-UML and other smaller parties, have withdrawn their support, leaving his government in the minority.

This situation puts pressure on Dahal to resign, which is being pushed by his own party and other political factions. However, Dahal has decided to seek a vote of confidence on July 12. According to cross-party leaders, Dahal is offering the premiership to NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba to disrupt the NC-UML agreement. He has indicated that the Maoists are willing to support Deuba for a full term until the next elections in 2027. This offer was made the day after Deuba and UML leader Oli signed their agreement, but Deuba dismissed it.

Despite Deuba’s rejection, Dahal continues to reach out to NC leaders. Two days ago, he invited senior NC leader Shekhar Koirala to his residence for discussions. Koirala attended the meeting with the consent of Deuba. Sources say Koirala told Dahal that reversing the current situation is almost impossible. Even senior leaders within Dahal’s own CPN (Maoist Center) are advising him to resign, but Dahal insists there is still room for political maneuvering. After the NC-UML agreement, the Rastriya Swatantra Party decided to leave the government, but Dahal asked them to stay until the confidence vote.

There is some dissatisfaction within NC and UML ranks regarding the opaque agreement between Oli and Deuba, but no leader has openly criticized it. Both parties have unanimously endorsed the agreement. NC leaders believe Dahal’s efforts to form an alliance with UML are unlikely to succeed, despite his attempts. Some ambiguous provisions in the agreement might be exploited to prevent Oli from becoming prime minister, but it is almost certain that Oli will ascend to the position under Article 76(2) of the Constitution, which mandates a coalition government since no single party has a majority under Article 76(1).

Dahal and his allied constitutional experts argue that if Dahal’s government, formed under Article 76(2), fails to secure a vote of confidence, the President should initiate government formation under Article 76(3). This would mean appointing the parliamentary party leader of the largest party, likely Deuba. Neutral constitutional experts, however, assert that the government formation process should start under Article 76(2) again after July 12. If the government is formed under either Article 76(2) or 76(3), it is likely to face legal challenges, much like the 2021 Supreme Court verdict on Oli's dissolution of the House before its term ended. The verdict emphasized that all provisions of Article 76 should be tested to form a government.

The unexpected agreement between NC and UML has left Dahal, who had maintained power by striking a balance between NC and UML, in shock. He was confident that the rival NC and UML would not join forces. Additionally, Maoist leaders believed external forces would prevent Oli from coming to power. Dahal had been frequently changing coalition partners and was recently preparing to align with NC leaders again in the guise of forming a national unity government.

NC and UML were growing weary of Dahal's tactics, and there had been long-standing support within both parties for a coalition. The deteriorating economic conditions, frequent government changes, growing communal tensions and problematic constitutional provisions compelled the first and second largest parties to unite to address the country's challenges. The rise of new political parties also gave impetus to this unconventional alliance.

In this context, Dahal’s attempts to reverse the situation are unlikely to succeed. NC leaders state that Deuba is not willing to accept Dahal’s offer of the premiership. After nearly a decade, NC and UML are joining forces again, reminiscent of their successful collaboration in 2014 to deliver the Constitution in 2015. Now, they aim to form a strong government to resolve the current problems facing the country.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has instructed concerned bodies to be active in rescuing citizens suffering from natural disasters and distributing relief materials to them.

Issuing a statement today, he expressed grief over the loss of life and property in various parts of the country due to floods and landslides including other natural disasters.

Prime Minister Dahal has said that necessary preparations are being made to minimize the damage and risk caused by floods and landslides.

The PM has urged all civil society and political parties to join hands in rescuing and providing relief to the affected people.

He has further urged all to be more active and alert to avoid the possible risk from natural disasters.

The CPN-UML has concluded that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal should resign immediately.

A Parliamentary Party meeting held at the New Baneshwor-based Lhotse Hall prior to the Parliament meeting concluded that the Prime Minister should pave the way for forming a national consensus government by putting in his papers immediately.

The UML said that the Prime Minister, who fell into minority, should step down immediately, claiming that it would be unfair to remain in the post.

The party said that the Prime Minister of the acting government is making long-term decisions which are against the national interest.

After the meeting, UML Chief Whip Mahesh Bartaula said that the Prime Minister should tender his resignation and pave the way for forming a national consensus government.

“It is unfair that the government which fell into minority is not resigning for a long time. We have urged the Prime Minister to resign immediately and help in forming a national government,” he said, adding, “The government is making various decisions. The government has no power to make any decision in this situation. This is against the national interest.”

The UML has already withdrawn support to the government after an agreement was reached between the UML and the Nepali Congress to form a new ruling equation.

The party already recalled its ministers.

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.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has stressed on effective priority to disaster management.

In the high-level meeting on mitigation of monsoon disaster risk and risk response held today at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, he said that since the country has a high risk of natural disasters, disaster management should be prioritized in the coordinated efforts of all three security agencies.

The Prime Minister said, "There are ups and downs in politics, but the government and state agencies should not forget their responsibilities. Nepal is a high-risk country in terms of disasters. This year the weather is expected to be unfavorable. So, let's prepare properly to tackle the possible risk. We also have resources in disaster management, but realizing that we are not able to mobilize the resources due to the complications of the procedures, let's modify it so that it can be mobilized easily. Let's focus all the attention of all agencies of the state on preparedness and risk reduction."

In the discussion, he expressed gratitude for the preparations made by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Nepal Army. In the discussion, the Prime Minister was informed about the preparedness of disaster management on behalf of the Nepal Army and the Ministry of Home Affairs and the preparations made by it regarding risk prevention.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane, Chief of Army Staff Prabhuram Sharma, Acting Chief Secretary Leeladevi Gadtaula, Home Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal, Defense Secretary Kiran Raj Sharma, Inspector General of Police Basant Kunwar, Inspector General of Armed Police Force Raju Aryal and other officials participated in the meeting.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is to seek a vote of confidence on July 12.

The Prime Minister is seeking a vote of confidence after he fell into minority following the agreement of the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML to form a national consensus government.

He has already sent a letter to the Parliament Secretariat to take a vote of confidence.

Prime Minister Dahal informed that he is seeking a vote of confidence as per Article 100 (2) of the Constitution.

The Prime Minister has been saying that he would face the Parliament even though the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML have been urging him to resign and pave the way for forming a national consensus government.

The UML and the Congress had reached an agreement to form a new government on July 1.

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.

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.

Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa has advised Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to step down and pave the way for forming a new government.

Talking to the media in Biratnagar today, the leader said it would be appropriate for the Prime Minister to resign from the post and pave the way for forming the new government when the government's major coalition partner has already withdrawn its support and left the government.

Claiming that the Nepali Congress' significant contribution to the establishment of a federal democratic republic system, the lawmaker spoke of the need for a constitutional amendment.  The NC is committed to making it happen through the all-sides participation, he added.

"An amendment to the Constitution seems essential to have political stability," he said, adding that the two largest parties in the Parliament - the NC and the CPN UML - are progressing towards the formation of a national consensus government in a special situation.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has pointed out the need of building the capacity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic missions of Nepal abroad for the welfare of Nepalis overseas.

Prime Minister Dahal said so in the discussion regarding the presentation of the Organization and Management Survey of the Foreign Ministry and subordinate bodies held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM), Singha Durbar, today.  

Saying that he has given top priority to welfare and rights of Nepalis working and living abroad, he mentioned that organizational and structural capacity building was the main agenda for the same, according to the OPMCM.

The Prime Minister explained, "Number of people going abroad is growing. But, our Foreign Ministry, as well as offices and missions under it are not capacitated as per the time. These institutions are running under very old quotas. Let's make it timely and make organization and human resources management strong as well as carry out activities keeping the welfare and rights of Nepalis living abroad in mind. Make technical preparation at secretary-level for the same and we will reach a conclusion soon."

Similarly, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha laid emphasis on the need of strengthening Foreign Ministry and its subordinate bodies.

Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun, Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration Bhanu Bhakta Joshi, Acting Chief Secretary Leela Devi Gadtaula, Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal, Finance Secretary Madhu Kumar Marasini, as well as officials of OPMCM and Foreign Ministry were present on the occasion.

Nepali Congress has said that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal should pave the way by stepping down.

The Central Works Execution Committee meeting held at party President Sher Bahadur Deuba’s residence in Budhanilkantha concluded that the Prime Minister should put in papers as the two largest parties in the Parliament have already reached an agreement to form a national government.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, spokesperson Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat said that the Prime Minister should help in forming a new government by tendering his resignation.

“The Prime Minister should pave the way if the two largest parties are saying that they are forming a new government. We have urged him to resign,” he said.

But Prime Minister Dahal is in no mood to resign immediately.

ALSO READ: Story behind formation of new coalition

Leader Mahat informed that the meeting has endorsed the agreement reached between the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML to form a new government.

“The meeting has endorsed the agreement that 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,” he said.

Mahat further went on to say that the party will decide on the names of the ministers to be sent to the government later.

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.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal called on President Ram Chandra Paudel on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister and the CPN (Maoist Center) Chair visited the Head-of-the-State at the Office of the President, Shital Niwas. 

On the occasion, matters relating to the country's latest political developments were discussed, according to President's communications expert Kiran Pokhrel.

It may be noted that on Monday, the two largest parties in the federal Parliament- NC and the CPN-UML- agreed to share the power equation, aiming to form a new government under the leadership of UML Chair KP Sharma Oli.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is not going to resign immediately.

The office-bearers’ meeting of the CPN (Maoist Center) held in Baluwatar on Tuesday morning made a decision that the Prime Minister will not tender his resignation instead face a trust vote.

After the meeting, Maoist Center Secretary Devendra Paudel said that the Prime Minister will not put in his papers immediately, instead face a vote of confidence.

The meeting decided that the party will move ahead by holding discussions with Rastriya Swatantra Party, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML among others.

Earlier this morning, UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli met Prime Minister Dahal and urged him to pave the way by resigning from his post.

Oli said that the UML will withdraw the support extended to the government and recall the ministers if he did not step down.

The two big parties—Nepali Congress and CPN-UML—have agreed to form a new government under the leadership of UML Chairman Oli.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli held a meeting on Monday.

According to a Baluwatar source, they discussed contemporary political issues in the meeting today.

The Prime Minister’s Secretariat said that the two leaders also discussed making the works of the government more effective.

Earlier on Saturday and Sunday, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba held talks with UML Chairman Oli.

Following the meetings, Prime Minister Dahal also intensified the dialogues.