Despite Resistance, PM of Nepal Wins A Vote Of Confidence In Parliament

GG News Bureau 

Nepal, 20th May. Amidst opposition from the Nepali Congress, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal of Nepal was able to secure a vote of confidence on Monday.

Since taking office in December 2022, Dahal has received four votes of confidence from the House of Representatives. In the 275-member House of Representatives, Dahal received 157 votes, one abstention, and no vote against the motion.

There were 158 legislators present for the voting process. To demonstrate a majority in support of the trust motion, the prime minister needed at least 138 votes. Since they were holding protests in the chamber, members of the main opposition Nepali Congress, which holds the majority in the lower chamber, abstained from voting.

Congress members gathered around the well shortly after Speaker Devraj Ghimire declared the start of the House session, chanting that Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane be investigated for his suspected involvement in a cooperative fraud.

As per Article 100(2) of the constitution, the prime minister requested a vote of confidence after the Janata Samajbadi Party, Nepal withdrew its support for the government on May 5th, following a schism. On January 10, 2023, Dahal took the floor exam for the first time. Back then, he had garnered 268 votes.

Just three months after severing his links with the CPN-UML and forming a coalition with the Nepali Congress, the prime minister won the trust motion for the second time. At the time, he had the backing of 172 lawmakers.

Congress lost its support for the government on March 4, when Dahal once more split his coalition with Congress and allied himself with the CPN-UML and other parties. As a result, he was forced to seek the vote of confidence a third time. He had received 157 votes then. The next meeting of the House of Representatives is scheduled for 11 am tomorrow.