Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has secured a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives (HoR) for a fourth time.
PM Dahal took a vote of confidence amid protests and sloganeering by Nepali Congress and other opposition parties during the second HoR meeting on Monday.
Speaker Devraj Ghimire announced that PM Dahal received 157 votes while one lawmaker remained neutral. A total of 158 lawmakers took part in the voting.
Lawmakers from the ruling CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Center), Rastriya Swatantra Party, Janata Samajwadi Party, Janamat Party, and Nagarik Unmukti Party and independent lawmaker voted for PM Dahal.
Opposition parties including main opposition Nepali Congress, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal, Loktantrik Samajwadi Party Nepal, and Rastriya Janamorcha did not participate in the voting.
The HoR meeting has been adjourned until 11 AM Tuesday.
PM Dahal said that Nepali Congress made a big mistake by chanting slogans and causing obstruction while he was taking the vote of confidence.
“You did very wrong today. You presented a bad example in history by not letting the prime minister who has supported you again and again and who has worked hard to bring you onto the course of dialog take a vote of confidence according to the Constitution,” he said.
PM Dahal also said that Nepali Congress will have to pay a big price for it.
“This will be costly to you Congress. This activity of yours today will be established well in Nepal’s history, as a disgrace,” he said.
NC and other opposition parties continued to chant slogans during the voting.
PM Dahal took the floor test on Monday as the Upendra Yadav-led JSP Nepal withdrew its support to the government last week.
JSP Nepal quit the government and also withdrew its support to the government on May 13 following the party’s split.
Ashok Rai and six other lawmakers broke away from JSP Nepal and filed an application at the Election Commission for registration of a new party, Janata Samajwadi Party, on May 5. The Election Commission granted recognition to the new party the following day.
Article 100 (2) of the Constitution states that the prime minister should table a motion in the House of Representatives for a vote of confidence within 30 days if the political party they represent is divided or a political party in a coalition government withdraws its support.
This is the fourth time PM Dahal has taken a vote of confidence since his appointment to the post on December 25, 2022.
He passed a floor test for the first time on January 10, 2023. He secured 268 votes then, while 2 votes were cast against him.
He took a vote of confidence for the second time on March 20, 2023, after CPN-UML withdrew its support to his government. He secured 172 votes at the time, with 89 votes cast against him.
On March 4 this year, PM Dahal broke the coalition with Nepali Congress and formed a new coalition with CPN-UML, Rastriya Swatantra Party, JSP Nepal and CPN (Unified Socialist).
Nine days later, he passed his third floor test securing 157 votes. A total of 110 votes were cast against him.
Support of 138 lawmakers is required to secure a majority in the 275-member House of Representatives.
