Prime Minister Prachanda assumes office

Newly-elected Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal  ‘Prachanda’,68, has assumed office at Singha Durbar on Monday after taking oath of office and secrecy from the president. He has assumed office for the third term as the 44th Prime Minister of Nepal.

He has formed a small cabinet with three deputy prime ministers and four other ministers.

On Monday at 7:30 PM, Dahal returned to the Prime Minister’s chair after 5 and a half years.

Earlier at 4 pm, President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered oath of office and secrecy to Prime Minister Prachanda with other ministers amidst a special function in Sheetal Niwas.

Dahal was appointed the Prime Minister of the country on Sunday as per Article 76 (2) of the Constitution.

Dahal had submitted his claim to President Bidya Devi Bhandari to form a new government under his leadership by receiving the support of 169 MPs from seven parties, including, CPN-UML.

Breaking the coalition led by the largest party Nepali Congress, Dahal joined hands with the second largest party UML after Congress President and outgoing prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba refused to allow him to lead the government for the first half of the five-year term.

Born in Dhikurpokhari of Kaski district near Pokhara on December 11, 1954, Prachanda remained underground for almost 13 years. He joined mainstream politics when the CPN-Maoist adopted peaceful politics, ending a decade-long armed insurgency.

He led the decade-long armed struggle from 1996 to 2006 that ultimately ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in November 2006.

Prachanda first became prime minister on August 18, 2008, and served till May 25, 2009. He again came to power on August 4, 2016, and served till June 7, 2017. During both terms, he was not able to deliver on good governance and development.

As per the constitution, the newly-appointed prime minister is required to win the vote of confidence in the House of Representatives within 30 days of appointment.

Nepal conducted federal parliament and provincial assembly elections on November 20. No political party secured a majority to form the government.