Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli secures trust vote with two-thirds majority

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has secured a vote of confidence with a two-thirds majority from the House of Representatives (HoR).

A total of 188 out of 263 members of the House of Representatives (HoR) present in the meeting voted for the proposal on the vote of confidence to the government presented today at the HoR meeting by PM Oli.

Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire declared that PM Oli received 188 votes in favor of his proposal, while 74 votes were against the proposal, so PM Oli secured the vote of confidence with a two-thirds majority out of the present HoR members in the assembly. One vote remained neutral.

Earlier, PM Oli presented his proposal according to Article 76 (4) of the Constitution of Nepal and as per Rule 155 of the House of Representatives Regulations, 2079 BS.

To secure a vote of confidence, 138 votes were needed, whereas 184 votes were needed for a two-thirds majority.

Oli was appointed Prime Minister for the fourth time on July 14. In his speech during the floor test, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli pledged to investigate the corruption scams and irregularities reported at any period, prosecuting those responsible for them.

He said society will be made to have confidence that any corruption is punishable by law. The PM also expressed his commitment to taking appropriate decisions regarding the misappropriation of cooperative funds, ensuring that those responsible for the fraud will be brought to justice.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli informed the House of Representatives about the seven-point agreement reached between the Nepali Congress and the CPN (UML) while forging the present ruling alliance.

The Prime Minister updated the House on the seven-point pact reached on July 1 between the first and second largest parties in the HoR today while seeking a vote of confidence in the House.

The following are the seven points in the agreement which the PM shared with the House:

1. A National Consensus Government shall be formed under Article 76 (2) of the Constitution, also bringing on board other political parties, to protect national interests, maintain good governance in the nation by controlling corruption, and speed up the nation’s development and construction campaign for political stability as per the aspirations of the general public.

2. The National Consensus Government shall give priority to making necessary amendments to the Constitution and formulating laws coherent with this for political stability by evaluating the strengths and weaknesses as well as the complexities seen in practice after the promulgation of the Constitution.

3. Sufficient and decent employment shall be created within the country by ending the existing sluggishness seen in the economy, making economic activities vibrant, creating a reliable business environment, and encouraging internal and external investments.

4. CPN (UML) Chairman KP Sharma Oli shall take up the leadership of the National Consensus Government for two years from the date of the formation of the government, and thereafter Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba shall assume the leadership of the government until the general election to be held in November 2027.

5. The National Consensus Government shall be operated based on the Base and Common Minimum Programme for the Operation of the National Consensus Government that would be formulated to protect national interests, establish good governance in the country by controlling corruption, and expedite the national development and construction campaign.

6. The leadership role and participation of the two major political parties for the National Consensus Government shall be on the basis of equality and equal status, and other political parties shall also be included in the government.

7. The Provincial Government shall be formed and operated as per the spirit of the National Consensus Government, and the development construction works in the Province and local levels shall be accelerated as per the aspirations of the people.

During the floor test, Madhav Kumar Nepal, the former PM of Nepal and Chairman of the CPN (Unified Socialist), informed that his party would stay in opposition and play a constructive role.

Nepali Congress (NC) President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said the NC and the CPN (UML), the two major political parties, aspire for a stable and strong government.

According to the NC President, the constitution’s amendment is a usual procedure in democracy and the consensus of all parties will be sought provided that the constitution is amended ahead.

Sweta Singh (Kathmandu)