Nepal’s prime minister ‘forced to resign’ after losing majority support

Nepal’s prime minister resigned on Sunday shortly before he was to face a confidence vote in parliament that he expected to lose, further aggravating political instability in the Himalayan country.

Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli’s nine-month-old government had lost its majority support this month after the Maoist party pulled out of the coalition, accusing Oli of failing to honour power-sharing agreements.

In a nationally televised speech in parliament, Oli said on Sunday that the way he was forced to resign would have far-reaching implications for the country and lead to further political instability.

“The opposition parties hatched a conspiracy for narrow interests, and I am stunned by that,” he said.

“I have already submitted my resignation letter to the president and have informed the speaker about the resignation, paving the way for the election of a new prime minister,” Oli said in the speech, which came an hour before the confidence vote was to be held.