Nepal court orders opposition rival replace KP Sharma Oli as PM
- Monday’s Supreme Court order also reinstated Nepal’s parliament, which was dissolved by Oli in May as he sought to force a fresh election
- The move had sparked a constitutional crisis in the Himalayan nation, and marked his second attempt to dissolve parliament in recent months
The move deals a major blow to Oli, who was unable to muster a majority in the House of Representatives and had sought to force a fresh election by dissolving parliament on May 22.
After Nepal’s parliament had been reconstituted, Oli lost a confidence vote on May 10. Before his rivals could stake a claim however, he advised Nepal’s President Bidya Devi Bhandari to dissolve parliament, saying neither he nor opposition leader Deuba were able to muster a majority and form a new government.
The opposition decried the move and vowed to challenge it.
On Monday, Supreme Court official Debendra Dhakal said the court had ordered parliament be reconvened within seven days.
“It has also ordered that Sher Bahadur Deuba be appointed as prime minister within two days,” he said.
There was no immediate comment from Oli’s office or his aides, though hundreds of his supporters gathered outside the Supreme Court to protest the decision.
“We are here to protest the unconstitutional decision by the Supreme Court, which was interfering with the affairs of the parliament and its rights,” said one of the protesters, Ramesh Acharya.
The protesters briefly scuffled with riot police who were able to push them back. No injuries or arrests were reported. It is likely there will be several protests later in the week as Oli still has significant support among the public.
Oli became the prime minister in 2018 after his Communist Party of Nepal won a majority of the seats in the House of Representatives. The party, however, has had two splits this year, weakening Oli’s hold on power.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
