PM Prachanda wins confidence motion in Parliament garnering strong 268 votes

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Tuesday secured a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives. He garnered a strong 268 votes in the 275-member parliament, announced Pashupati Shumsher Rana, a RPP leader who chaired the House meeting on the basis of seniority. “I declare that the prime minister’s motion to seek a vote of confidence has been approved by the house.”

All members of parliament except Chitra Bahadur KC from People’s Front Nepal’s and Prem Suwal from Nepal Workers and Peasants Party voted in support of Prime Minister Dahal while one MP chose to remain neutral.

Prime Minister Dahal needed to only 138 votes in parliament to win vote of confidence. This is the highest votes a prime minister has ever received in vote of confidence in parlaiment.

Political parties, including Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Maoist Center, Rastriya Swatantra Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Janamat Party, Nagarik Unmukti Party, Unified Socialist, Loktantrik Samajwadi Party, Aam Janata Party and two independent candidates gave the vote of confidence to Prime Minister Dahal.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari had appointed CPN (Maoist Centre) chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal as prime minister on December 25 after he showed the support of 169 lawmakers. As per the constitutional provision, a prime minister appointed under Article 76(2) needs to secure a vote of confidence from the parliament within 30 days of the appointment.

Dahal had already secured enough votes to win the vote of confidence with support from as many as 166 members of parliament at the time of presenting his claim for the position.