Nepal PM Prachanda Faces Government Shake-Up as Eight Ministers Resign

In Kathmandu, Nepal, eight ministers from the CPN-UML party in Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s government are set to resign after a recent midnight agreement changed the ruling alliance. Mahesh Bartaula, the Chief Whip of CPN-UML, confirmed that these ministers will resign today. He also mentioned that Prime Minister Dahal might step down soon, and a new government is expected by evening.

Before the resignations, the CPN-UML called a party secretariat meeting at 3 pm local time. The CPN-Maoist Center, another party in the alliance, is also holding a meeting to decide their next steps. Prime Minister Dahal is discussing whether to resign or face a vote of confidence in parliament.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party and the Nepali Congress are also holding meetings to discuss the political changes and the allocation of ministries. This government change comes less than 100 days after its formation on March 4, following a new agreement between KP Sharma Oli of CPN-UML and Sher Bahadur Deuba of Nepali Congress. They agreed to share the prime minister’s tenure, with Oli leading for one and a half years and Deuba for the remaining term until the next election.

The new alliance has also formed a committee to suggest amendments to the election procedures and the constitution. They have proposed making the Vice President the chairman of the National Assembly. Leaders from the Congress and UML informed President Ram Chandra Paudel about the coalition change and the activation of Section 76 (2) to form a new government if the current Prime Minister fails to secure a vote of confidence.

Prime Minister Dahal, who came to power in December 2022, has already faced the parliament’s vote of confidence four times. He initially formed a coalition with CPN-UML, surprising the Nepali Congress. However, within three months, he switched alliances back to the Nepali Congress and secured a majority in the vote of confidence on March 20, 2023.