Prime minister likely to face no-confidence motion
KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 24
Nepal Communist Party (NCP) leaders close to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli have indicated that he is unlikely to resign as PM immediately, leading people to speculate what will happen when the next session of the House of Representatives is called before March 8. THT talked to legal eagles to try and get a clear picture.
Senior Advocate Raman Kumar Shrestha said the change of government could happen in two ways - either by passing a notrust motion against Prime Minister Oli or by removing him as the parliamentary party leader.
As per the constitutional provision, 25 per cent of HoR members can move a no-trust motion against the PM, but they should also propose the name of the next prime minister they want to elect. The constitution, however, allows lawmakers to move a notrust motion against the PM only once a year after he has completed two years in the office.
Naming the next prime minister could be tricky for the Dahal-Nepal faction because without the support of the Nepali Congress, the Dahal-Nepal faction cannot get the no-trust motion passed in the House. In the 275-member HoR, NCP has 174 members, NC has 63 and Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal has 34.
He said the NC might not support the Dahal-Nepal faction if its leader was not proposed as the next PM.
"But for the Dahal-Nepal faction supporting another party's leader as the next PM will be difficult because their cadres, who fought hard against the prime minister's move dissolving the HoR, will question their own leaders' decision," he said.
Senior Advocate Bipin Adhikari said the president, as guardian of the constitution, could ask the prime minister to seek a vote of confidence citing the possibility of his losing the confidence of the House due to the recent controversy or the PM could himself seek a vote of confidence.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 25, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
