Discussions held at the President's Office Shital Niwas, since Friday morning have led to an agreement to appoint former chief justice Sushila Karki as prime minister (PM) and then have her recommend the dissolution of the House of Representatives.
The appointment had been delayed because, despite a prior agreement to appoint Karki as PM, a consensus could not be reached on whose recommendation would be used to dissolve Parliament.
Karki had initially insisted that she would only accept the prime ministership after Parliament was dissolved. She had told the President, "First, you dissolve Parliament, and only then will I become Prime Minister." This was also the stance of the Gen Z youth who had proposed her as a candidate for PM.
Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah had also stated from the beginning that an interim government should only be formed after Parliament was dissolved. He even raised the issue of dissolving Parliament in a social media post Tuesday night, where he showed his support for Karki's name.
During the day-long talks at Shital Niwas, President Paudel questioned who would recommend the dissolution of Parliament. He suggested that Karki, once appointed PM, should make the decision to dissolve Parliament and set the election date in her very first Cabinet meeting. President Paudel stated that he had already secured the agreement of various top political leaders to approve this decision.
As the matter remained unresolved and with no new government in sight, the possibility of the President being forced to declare a state of emergency was raised. It was only then that former chief justice Karki agreed to dissolve Parliament after she was appointed PM.
Advocate Om Prakash Aryal played a role of facilitator in this process. He was present with Karki throughout the day-long negotiations at Shital Niwas. As a close associate of Karki and legal advisor to the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, he reportedly discussed the constitutional provision—that the Council of Ministers must recommend the dissolution of Parliament—with Mayor Balen Shah.
Following this, all parties reached a consensus: Karki will first be appointed PM, and her Cabinet will then make the decision to recommend the dissolution of the House.
According to the President's Press Advisor Kiran Pokharel, Karki's swearing-in ceremony will take place tonight at nine in accordance with this agreement. He stated that the first Cabinet meeting will be held immediately after her appointment and oath. This meeting will make the decision to dissolve the House and recommend it to the President for approval. "The President will approve the recommendation for the dissolution of the House of Representatives once it is made by the Council of Ministers," Pokharel said.
The new government's agenda has been largely finalized, with its main task being to hold elections. Additionally, the Karki-led government will investigate the events that occurred during the Gen Z protests on September 8 and 9, as well as look into corruption and the assets of political leaders.
