KATHMANDU, JULY 22
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli broke his silence on the seven-point agreement reached with Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba in the House of Representatives on Sunday, spelling them out today after three weeks it was inked.
Oli read aloud the points mentioned in the agreement while seeking a vote of confidence in the Lower House on Sunday.
CPN-UML Chair Oli signed a seven-point agreement with Deuba on July 1, but the contents were yet to be made public. The deal was approved internally by both parties. However the seven-point agreement had not been made public since midnight of July 1.
The power pact includes the formation of a new government in accordance with Article 76(2) of the Constitution, which includes other parties in the House of Representatives.
It also discusses prioritising amendments to certain clauses for political stability following a review of both the positive and negative aspects, as well as the complexities of implementing the Constitution in recent years.
Oli informed the House that, as part of the agreement, he will be Prime Minister for the first two years of the government, after which NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba will lead it until the general election in 2027.
The agreement also mentions reducing corruption, providing good governance, and ensuring political stability, among other things. Through the agreement, Oli pledged to investigate any reported corruption scams or irregularities and prosecute those responsible.
The seven points power pact agreement reached between the two parties that was announced are as follows:
1) To protect the national interest in accordance with the wishes of the people, to maintain good governance while reducing corruption, to accelerate nationwide infrastructure development activities, and to form a government of national consensus under Article 76(2) of the Constitution that includes other political parties in order to ensure political stability.
2) To review the strengths, weaknesses, and complexities that have emerged in practice since the constitution, prioritising constitutional amendments and the creation of appropriate laws for political stability.
3) To put an end to the economy's current laxity, create a stable business environment, and make economic activity viable creating adequate, decent jobs in the country by encouraging both internal and external investment.
4) To form a UML-led government of National Consensus for two years after its formation, followed by the Chair of NC, Sher Bahadur Deuba, until the general election in December 2084 (2027).
5) To protect the national interest, to maintain good governance in the country by controlling corruption, to accelerate the campaign for national development, and to run the government based on national consensus and the Common Minimum Program.
6) To run a national consensus government led by the two major political parties, with equal participation and inclusion of other political parties in the government.
7) To establish and operate the provincial government in accordance with the spirit of the national consensus government, as well as accelerating development and construction work at the provincial and local levels in accordance with public sentiment.
The seven-point power pact is the critical agreement that sparked the latest political upheavals and reshuffled the ruling coalition in just four months. The agreement impressed the CPN-UML chair, putting him on the PM chair first and Deuba second session.
On March 3, the Nepali Congress (NC)-CPN-MC coalition broke up, giving way to the CPN-MC-UML ruling coalition. The previous ruling coalition was formed around a year earlier, ahead of the presidential election, after Dahal broke the coalition with the CPN-UML.
NC, CPN-MC, JSP-N, and CPN (US) then decided to revive the pre-election alliance. On December 25, 2022, Dahal ended the pre-election alliance with the NC and CPN (US) and became Prime Minister with the support of the CPN-UML, Rastriya Swatantra Party, RPP, Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal (JSP-N), Janamat Party, and Nagarik Unmukti Party after Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba refused to make him Prime Minister first.
