K P Sharma Oli took oath as Nepal's Prime Minister for the fourth time on Monday, asking him to lead a new coalition government against heavy odds in achieving political stability in the country.
Oli was appointed by President Ram Chandra Paudel Sunday to head a coalition with the Nepali Congress, the dominant party in Parliament, along with some smaller parties.
The 72-year-old Oli succeeds Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', who was ousted from the office following his defeat in the vote of confidence in the HoR on Friday, which cleared the decks for the formation of the new government.
The program did its unveiling ceremony at Shital Niwas, the main building of Rashtrapati Bhawan, which was officiated by President Paudel. It, however, kicked off more than half an hour behind schedule because the Nepali Congress failed to sort out ministerial appointments as a result of internal disputes.
On the occasion, the President swore in two Deputy Prime Ministers as well. Prakash Man Singh has been assigned the Urban Development Ministry, while Bishnu Paudel has been handed the charge of the Finance Ministry. The portfolio of Foreign Minister has been given to Arzoo Rana Deuba, wife of NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba.
The new cabinet comprises ten ministers from the Nepali Congress, eight from CPN-UML excluding PM, two from Janata Samajwadi Party, and one from Lokatantrik Samajwadi Party.
The outdoing Prime Minister Prachanda arranged the ceremony that was also attended by foreign diplomats and other noted personalities.
President Paudel formally appointed Oli Prime Minister on Sunday after he produced a claim to the premiership with the signatures of 165 members of the House of Representatives, the President's Office said in a statement.
The claim to the premiership was supported by NC President Deuba, backed by signatures of 165 members of the House of Representatives—77 from CPN-UML itself and 88 from the Nepali Congress.
Oli now has to secure a vote of confidence within 30 days, which he is likely to get as the minimum required votes are 138 in the 275-member HoR.
It was a loss of confidence which placed Prachanda at the receiving end after Oli's party had withdrawn support to the coalition and set up a new seven-point agreement with Deuba.
According to the deal between NC and CPN-UML struck on July 1, the two parties would share leadership until the next general elections due in 2027.
The earlier tenures of Oli as Prime Minister were from 11 October 2015 to 3 August 2016 and then again from 5 February 2018 until 13 July 2021. He was briefly reappointed on May 13 to July 13, 2021, which local media sees as a strategic move. The Supreme Court later declared this premiership claim unconstitutional.
Nepal's political landscape has been marked by instability, with the country going through 14 different governments in the past 16 years of republican order.
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