Kathmandu- Amidst a power struggle, KP Sharma Oli, a communist leader and head of the Communist Party of Nepal-UML, has returned to his position as prime minister after 2021.
The Nepali Congress chairman, Sher Bahadur Deuba, supports Oli’s bid to become the country’s prime minister for a fourth stint.
According to the July 1 power sharing agreement, Sher Bahadur Deuba of the NC and Oli of the CPN-UML, Nepal’s two main parties, would take turns serving as prime minister for 18 months each until the country’s next general election in 2027.
It has been decided to divide the ministerial posts between the NC and CPN-UML; at the moment, each party will be in charge of eight ministries.
Along with the eight other ministers who have been nominated but whose names have not yet been disclosed, KP Sharma Oli will take the oath of office as prime minister on Monday morning at the President’s House.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health and Population, Ministry of Forest and Environment, Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Ministry of Urban Development, and Ministries of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs will all be under the direction of the Congress, the majority party in the legislature.
The Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Physical Infrastructure & Transport, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, Ministry of Land Reform & Management, and Ministry of Education will all be under the direction of CPN UML, the largest communist party.
Oli will now need to seek a vote of confidence in the Parliament within 30 days, although more than half of parliamentarians already back him, .
Veteran Nepali communist leader Oli has a turbulent political history defined by his confrontations with India, a neighboring country, and his nationalist rhetoric. After taking office as prime minister of Nepal twice, from 2015–2016 and 2018–2021, Oli was removed from office in a contentious decision by the Supreme Court.
But this time, it’s anticipated that his administration will work to mend the strained ties between the two neighbors and reestablish ties with India.
Oli cannot afford to take a unilateral stance on the domestic or geopolitical fronts while working in partnership with the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the parliament.
