KATHMANDU, MAY 21

The Office of the President of Nepal, issuing a statement close to midnight on Friday, said neither the incumbent Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, nor the opposition leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, both of whom had forwarded claim to government, can be appointed PM.

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President Bidya Devi Bhandari stated that the claims of both the PM aspirants fall short of required provisions and as such, neither can proceed to form a new government, therefore rejecting their claims.

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'It has been noted that PM Oli counted those lawmakers as his supporters who extended support to Opposition alliance whereas the UML and JSP-N have forwarded letters stating action would be taken against those who had gone against the party to endorse oppostion's claim,' Bhandari cited as the reasons to invalidate claims of both the parties.

With this, suspicion over Oli's next move has mounted as the President's decision has paved way for him to go ahead and dissolve the House of Representatives once again, exactly what the Prime Minister had been batting for since December 2020 House dissolution, and announce dates for fresh elections.