Nepal PM loses vote of confidence in House of Representatives

New Delhi, July 12: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ lost a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives (HoR) today. During the session, 63 lawmakers voted in favour of the motion, 194 voted against it, and 1 remained neutral, leading to PM Dahal’s will now have to step down.

In the 275-member HoR, a majority requires 138 votes. Members of Parliament (MPs) could vote in favour of the trust motion, against it, or remain neutral. PM Dahal received 21 votes from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and 10 votes from CPN (US), in addition to his party’s 32 votes.

Among the largest political parties in Nepal, the Nepali Congress holds 88 seats, while CPN-UML has 79. During the meeting, PM Dahal presented a list of achievements before the HoR discussed and voted on the motion. In a previous vote of confidence in January 2023, PM Dahal had secured 268 votes.

PM Dahal sought the vote of confidence after the CPN-UML withdrew its support from the coalition government on July 3. Exercising his constitutional rights, PM Dahal chose to face Parliament for the vote rather than resign. According to Article 100 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal, the PM must table a motion for a vote of confidence within 30 days if a coalition party withdraws its support.

On July 1, the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML agreed to form a new power alliance and establish a national consensus government, with the two parties taking turns leading. The CPN-UML and Nepali Congress issued whips to their members to vote against the PM. The Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Janamat Party, Janata Samajwadi Party, Loktantrik Samajwadi Party, and Nagarik Unmukti Party also decided to vote against the PM. Meanwhile, the Rastriya Swatantra Party asked its MPs to support the PM.

With PM Dahal failing to secure a vote of confidence in Parliament, President Ram Chandra Paudel will now call for the formation of a new government.