Nepal’s Political Landscape Shifts as Oli Takes Oath as PM

Xinhua/APP

Kathmandu: KP Sharma Oli, the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) (CPN-UML), was sworn in on Monday as Nepal’s new prime minister, marking his fourth term in office.

President Ram Chandra Poudel administered the oath of office to the 72-year-old Oli in a formal ceremony held at the presidential palace. “The president administered the oath to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli along with 21 ministers,” Kiran Pokharel, press advisor to the president, told Xinhua.

The new cabinet includes Arzu Rana Deuba, the wife of Nepali Congress party President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who has taken on the role of foreign minister. The cabinet, however, is currently missing three state ministers, highlighting the ongoing political negotiations within the coalition.

Oli’s return to power follows a turbulent political period. Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the previous prime minister, lost a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives on Friday, prompting the CPN-UML to withdraw its support for his coalition. Following these events, Oli was appointed prime minister on Sunday evening.

Oli now leads a four-party coalition government, formed under an agreement with the Nepali Congress party on 1 July. The coalition deal stipulates that the Nepali Congress Party and the CPN-UML will alternate the premiership until the next general election in 2027.

This arrangement comes in the wake of the November 2022 general election, where no single party secured a majority in the lower house of Parliament.

This latest shift in Nepal’s political landscape reflects the country’s ongoing struggle to achieve stable governance amid fragmented electoral outcomes and shifting party alliances.