Kathmandu: The ruling coalition between the Maoist Centre and the Communist Party of Nepal – Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) is set to collapse as the two parties on late Monday evening agreed to form a strong government led by KP Sharma Oli.
Nepali Congress and CPN (UML) reached a consensus to form a new alliance, following the UML’s growing dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
In an unusual political twist, Nepal’s two largest parties in the House of Representatives have agreed to amend the constitution to improve the electoral system, it has been said.
With this new development, KP Sharma Oli is set to be appointed prime minister for the third time. Oli will lead the government for the next one and a half years, while Congress chair Sher Bahadur Deuba will become prime minister for another one and a half years.
In the power-sharing deal, the CPN-UML has agreed to lead nine ministries, including the Ministry of Finance, while the Nepali Congress will lead ten ministries, including the Ministry of Home Affairs. Likewise, the CPN-UML will lead governments in Koshi, Lumbini, and Karnali, while the Congress will lead in Bagmati, Gandaki, and Sudurpaschim. The Madesh government will be led by a regional party.
In March, the current coalition of CPN (UML) and CPN (Maoist Centre) was formed after Prime Minister Dahal announced the disbanding of the year-long coalition with the Nepali Congress (NC) to form new allies.
Despite contesting the November 2022 elections in alliance with the NC, Dahal formed a government with the support of the CPN-UML and other smaller parties. That alliance lasted barely two months before Dahal left the coalition to join hands with the Nepali Congress.
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