Prachanda Ousted: Confidence Vote Ends 19-Month Tenure as PM

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ lost a vote of confidence in the Nepali parliament on Friday, ending his 19-month tenure in power.

The vote was triggered after the K P Sharma Oli-led CPN-UML withdrew its support for Prachanda’s government. This withdrawal left Prachanda with limited options, forcing him to either resign immediately or face a confidence vote within a month. He chose the latter.

Out of 258 lawmakers present in parliament, 63 from the CPN (Maoist Center), CPN (Unified Socialist), and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) supported him, while 194 voted against him. One lawmaker opted to remain neutral. PM Dahal needed 138 votes to win the confidence vote.

To prevent K P Sharma Oli’s return as Prime Minister, Prachanda has been leveraging Constitutional provisions. He advocates for the application of Article 76(3) of Nepal’s Constitution, which mandates that the leader of the largest party be invited to form the government, over Article 76(2), which allows any party leader who can command majority support to form the government within 30 days.

Prachanda’s insistence on Article 76(3) aims to shape the process of electing his successor and influence the political landscape in Nepal.