KATHMANDU, Nepal – On Friday, Nepal’s Prime Minister lost a vote of confidence in parliament, leading to plans for him to step down after being in office for 19 months. Pushpa Kamal Dahal fell short of gaining the support required from over half of the members of the House of Representatives during the vote. This situation arose after the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist), the main ally in his government, decided to withdraw their support and form a new alliance with the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the country.
As a result of the new alliance, Khadga Prasad Oli, the leader of the communist party, is set to become the new prime minister. Dahal had been heading a fragile governing coalition since assuming the prime minister position in December 2022 following an inconclusive election where his party finished third. Despite facing disagreements within his coalition partners, he managed to become the leader of a new alliance.
This marked the third time that Dahal, also known as Prachanda, had served as the prime minister of Nepal since his Maoist group transitioned from an armed revolt to mainstream politics in 2006. He led a violent Maoist communist insurgency from 1996 to 2006, resulting in more than 17,000 fatalities and many others missing. Following the end of the armed conflict, they engaged in a U.N.-supported peace process and shifted to mainstream politics. Dahal’s party attained the most parliamentary seats in 2008, leading to his appointment as prime minister, although he resigned a year later due to disagreements with the president.
