KP Sharma Oli to Become Nepal’s Prime Minister for the Fourth Time

Kathmandu, Nepal – KP Sharma Oli is set to become Nepal’s new Prime Minister on Sunday evening, marking his fourth term in office. Oli’s party, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), has formed a coalition with the Nepali Congress (NC) to finalize the list of ministers for the new government.

President Ram Chandra Paudel will appoint Oli, 72, as the new Prime Minister after Pushpa Kamal Dahal lost a confidence motion. The President had called for political parties to stake a claim for the Prime Minister position as per Article 76 (2) of the constitution. Kiran Pokhrel, the President’s press advisor, confirmed that Oli will be appointed as the next Prime Minister since no other parties have staked a claim.

Oli and Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba submitted signatures of 165 lawmakers, claiming majority support in the parliament. The Constitution of Nepal requires a Prime Minister to have a majority of 138 in the 275-member House of Representatives.

Oli first became Prime Minister in October 2015 and has held the position multiple times since then. The new coalition government is finalizing ministerial candidates, with Bishnu Poudel from UML set to become Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, and Prakash Man Singh from Nepali Congress expected to be the Minister of Defence.

The coalition agreement between Congress and UML includes a rotational leadership until the next general elections in 2027. The agreement has not been made public yet.