KATHMANDU, July 13: Outgoing Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is addressing the nation from the Singha Durbar-based Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM).
Oli, who is also the chairman of CPN-UML, had been appointed as the prime minister for a second stint on Feb 15, 2018 after the left alliance, which comprised the UML and CPN (Moaist Center) recorded a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections held in 2017.
Oli had also been elected as Prime Minister on 11 October 2015 after the promulgation of the Constitution of Nepal through the Constituent Assembly.
Oli, later became one of the two chairmen of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP)-- formed on May 17, 2018, as a result of a merger deal between the UML and Maoist party.
PM Oli addressing nation (LIVE)
However, with intra-party rift escalation at its worst, Oli unconstitutionally dissolved the lower House of parliament on December 20, 2021, which was only to be reinstated by the February 23 verdict of the Supreme Court.
Oli further lost majority in parliament as the March 7 order of the apex court invalidated the NCP and resurrected the two parties --- UML and Maoist Center.
He, on May 10, opted to take a trust vote from the House, however, got only 93 votes. As political parties failed to form a government as per Article 76 (2), he was again appointed as the prime minister under Article 76 (3) in his capacity as the parliamentary party leader of the largest party in the 275-member House.
Constitutionally, he was required to go for a floor test within 30 days of his appointment on May 12. He, however, said that he did not have any formidable basis to win the confidence motion from parliament and recommended to President Bidya Devi Bhandari to initiate the new government formation process in accordance with Article 76 (5).
Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba backed by 149 members of the lower House and Oli himself staked their claims to the new government. Oli said that he had the support of 153 MPs. President Bhandari, however, trashed both claims on May 21.
The House was again dissolved on May 22 on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers.
Following the dissolution of the House, more than two dozen writ petitions were lodged at the Supreme Court, which later formed a five-member constitutional bench to hear the case.
After nearly a month-long hearing, the bench presided over by Chief Justice Choelendra SJB Rana, issued an order that the House be reinstated and Deuba be appointed the new prime minister.
