KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 27
All eight CPN-UML ministers today tendered their resignation to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal after a meeting of their party Secretariat decided to withdraw support to the government.
Ministers representing Rastriya Prajatantra Party in the seven-party alliance had submitted their resignations on Saturday after Dahal formed the eight-party alliance with the Nepali Congress and other parties expressing commitment to support Nepali Congress candidate Ramchandra Paudel for president. RPP also withdrew support to the government.
Prime Minister Dahal will now have to seek vote of confidence within 30 days as two of the partners of the seven-party alliance - RPP and UML - have withdrawn support to the government.
After the party secretariat meeting, UML leader Bishnu Prasad Paudel said his party decided to withdraw support to the government as the PM was preparing to remove UML ministers or divest them of their portfolios. He said the PM's decision preventing Foreign Minister Bimala Rai Paudyal from taking part in the Human Rights Council conference in Geneva was also one reason behind their decision to withdraw support to the government. Paudel said that Dahal's public remarks against UML was also another reason behind the party's decision to withdraw support.
PM Dahal had on Saturday said that the UML would sit in the opposition.
Stating that the UML had taken part in this government under special circumstances, Paudel said his party wanted the ruling parties to abide by the agreement reached on December 25, particularly the agreement to elect the UML candidate as the new president, but PM Dahal backtracked on that and decided to support the NC candidate instead.
"Although we did not agree with the PM on the presidential election, we were of the view that we could continue to help him by becoming a partner in the government, but the PM did not want us to be a partner, Paudel argued.
UML leaders have been saying that on December 25, the PM had agreed to elect the UML candidate as the new president, but later backtracked on the agreement.
The PM, who got 99 per cent votes during the vote of confidence, including that of the Nepali Congress, the principal opposition, has been saying there is need to elect a new president through consensus that reflects the near consensus vote during the vote of confidence.
CPN-MC leaders recently said that if the UML candidate won the presidential election, UML would hold all key posts and the party could create problems for Dahal's government.
The PM and his party leaders were unhappy with Oli for his speech in the House of Representatives where he justified his decision to dissolve the HoR twice.
Receiving the UML leaders' resignation letters, the PM told them he had forged alliance with the UML with the aim of running the coalition for a long time, but political developments did not allow him to continue the alliance. He said as politics was a game of possibilities, he might have to join hands with the UML in the future, outgoing Foreign Minister Bimala Rai Paudyal said.
She said the PM clarified that he told her in good faith not to go to Geneva as in the past the Cabinet was reshuffled when a minister was representing the country abroad.
The Rabi Lamichhane-led Rastriya Swatantra Party which withdrew from the government in the first week of February continues to support the government. RSP Spokesperson Mukul Dhakal told THT that they were maintaining equidistance with all the parties and would take a call on the presidential election after a few days. The RSP has not made it clear which candidate it supports – the NC's Paudel or the UML's Subas Chandra Nembang - who are vying for the presidential post.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 28, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
