Nepal PM Prachanda loses vote of confidence after key ally withdraws support

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', on July 12 lost a vote of confidence in the Parliament after receiving only 63 votes in the 275-member House of Representatives (HoR). The Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) also withdrew its support for his government.

While at least 138 votes are needed to win the vote of trust, 194 votes were against the motion. 

Prachanda has survived four trust votes since he assumed the post on December 25, 2022.

Former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli-led CPN-UML withdrew support from the Prachanda-led government last week after he signed a power-sharing deal with the largest party in the House – Nepali Congress.

Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has already endorsed Oli as the next prime minister.

The Nepali Congress has 89 seats in the HoR, while CPN-UML has 78 seats. Their combined strength of 167 is much more than the 138 required for a majority in the lower house.