Kathmandu, August 22

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who is also co-chair of Nepal Communist Party (NCP), handed over executive power to Co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal today authorising him to chair the party’s meeting and take necessary decisions in his absence.

This decision was taken during a Secretariat meeting today. NCP Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha said Dahal would take decisions, including decisions related to party unification in Oli’s absence.

PM Oli, who has been on kidney enhancement therapy for the last 12 years, left for Singapore today for drug dose adjustment. According to Shrestha, PM Oli told party leaders his health was okay but he was going to adjust drug dose and he might have to stay there for one to two weeks.

This is the first time Oli has agreed to hand over executive power to Dahal in his absence. In the past, when PM Oli went to foreign countries he had not handed over such power, as a result of which formal decision making used to get affected.