Kedar Karki’s Confidence Vote in Koshi Province Tomorrow

The newly-appointed Chief Minister of Koshi province, Kedar Karki, is scheduled to face a crucial floor test in the provincial assembly on Wednesday (tomorrow). Chief Minister Karki made this announcement during a session of the provincial assembly on Monday, complying with the Provincial Assembly Regulation, which mandates that the chief minister must provide a two-day notice before undergoing a floor test.

The provincial assembly meeting had been adjourned on October 7 but has been reconvened for Wednesday, following Chief Minister Karki’s decision to seek a vote of confidence. Karki, who is known to be aligned with leader Shekhar Koirala in the Nepali Congress (NC), asserted his claim to the chief minister’s position by presenting signatures of support from 47 lawmakers, including eight NC members (including himself) and 39 CPN-UML lawmakers, to Province Chief Parshuram Khapung. This move ran counter to the central government’s backing of Indra Angbo from the CPN (Maoist Center) as the coalition candidate.

Chief Minister Karki was sworn into office as the head of Koshi province on Sunday, a day after his appointment in accordance with Article 168 (5) of the Constitution. His predecessor, UML leader Hikmat Kumar Karki, had resigned as chief minister on October 7 when it became apparent that he lacked the support to pass a floor test. The upcoming vote of confidence is expected to be a critical moment in the province’s political landscape.