Madhav Kumar Nepal has replaced KP Oli as Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal
Kathmandu:
Madhav Kumar Nepal replaced Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli as chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (PNC), party spokesman Narayan Kaji Shrestha said Tuesday, adding that the party will take disciplinary action against KP Oli.
At a press conference, the ruling party spokesman said: “KP Oli replaced by Madhav Kumar Nepal as chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal.”
“315 members of the Central Committee have voted in favor of Madhav Nepal,” he said.
The party will also take disciplinary action against KP Oli, added the party spokesman.
This comes just two days after Prime Minister Oli recommended the dissolution of Parliament. Nepalese President Bidhya Devi Bhandari ratified Prime Minister Oli’s proposal for the dissolution of Parliament and announced the election dates.
In a live broadcast on Nepal’s state television, KP Oli called on everyone to be prepared for the elections on April 30 and May 10 next year.
The decision to dissolve the Lower House, an unprecedented move, angered both the public and members of his party.
12 writ petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court against KP Oli’s measure, which has been widely alleged as unconstitutional.
The Communist Party of Nepal, led by KP Oli, weighed heavily in both the lower and upper houses, with a large majority secured during the 2017 general elections. Protesting the latest move by KP Oli, the majority of the ministers of his cabinet resigned en masse on Sunday.
Hundreds of people took to the streets of Kathmandu on Sunday afternoon denouncing Prime Minister KP Oli’s latest move and an early election as a constitutional coup.
The protesters chanted slogans against KP Sharma Oli and President Bidhya Devi Bhandari for proposing and ratifying the proposal to dissolve parliament and call new elections for next year. They called the measure a “constitutional coup” and demanded both the state and the chief executive of the nation not to go ahead.
KP Oli, who has been losing support within his own party, has long been criticized for making unilateral decisions while making key decisions and appointments. He has also been widely criticized for mishandling the pandemic and saving ministers accused of corruption.
Nepal, located between India and China, has had 26 prime ministers in roughly three decades. The nation was expected to emerge from the tumultuous situation after the 2017 elections in which KP Oli’s party won a majority of almost two-thirds of the votes.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
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