Nepali PM KP Sharma Oli Seeks Crucial Two-Third Majority in Confidence Vote

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is aiming to secure a two-thirds majority in the Nepali parliament by presenting a vote of confidence today. With a coalition's support, he is expected to get the required majority, though opposition parties have decided to vote against him.

Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is set to seek a critical two-third majority in parliament as he tables a vote of confidence today. Appointed as Prime Minister in mid-July, Oli will present the trust motion at a parliamentary meeting scheduled for 1 pm local time on Sunday.

According to the parliamentary schedule released by the Parliament Secretariat, Oli's motion is buoyed by favorable parliamentary mathematics. If support from his appointment holds, he is likely to secure the needed margin. The CPN-UML, led by Oli, holds 78 seats; the main ally Nepali Congress has 88 seats; Janata Samajbadi Party has seven, and Loktantrik Samajbadi Party has four seats. All these parties are part of Oli's government, which he formed last Monday. Additionally, votes from other smaller parties could push the combined strength to 192 seats, surpassing the 184 needed in the 275-seat parliament.

"All lawmakers have been directed to participate in today's vote. We have issued whips to CPN-UML party members to support Prime Minister Oli," said Mahesh Bartaula, chief whip of CPN-UML. Oli came to power following a deal with Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba on July 2. While details remain undisclosed, the agreement involves Oli remaining in power for two years before handing over to Deuba.

Opposing Oli's motion are parties including the CPN-Maoist Centre, CPN-Unified Socialist Party, Rastriya Swatantra Party, and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP). The RPP, which voted against the former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal's trust motion on July 12, confirmed its decision in a parliamentary committee meeting on Saturday.

RPP Chairman Rajendra Prasad Lingden stated, "The incumbent Prime Minister has a comfortable majority. However, the earlier deal remains undisclosed, and major parties are not keen on addressing constitutional issues. We won't support the trust motion." The RPP holds 14 seats in the House.

Earlier, the Maoist Centre (32 seats), Rastriya Swatantra Party (21), and CPN-Unified Socialist (10) also declared their opposition to Oli's trust motion.

(With inputs from agencies.)