The Nepal Communist Party led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has decided to accept Tuesday’s Supreme Court verdict which overturned his December 20 House dissolution move.
Pradeep Gyawali, spokesperson for the Oli faction, said that Wednesday’s meeting of the Standing Committee meeting of their faction held at Baluwatar, had decided to accept the Supreme Court’s verdict.
“A meeting of the House would also be called within 13 days,” said Gyawali, also the foreign minister in the Oli Cabinet.
On Tuesday, passing a landmark verdict, the Constitutional Bench said that Oli’s decision to dissolve the House on December 20 was unconstitutional and asked authorities to convene the House meeting within 13 days.
The Oli faction is also planning to call meetings of the Central Committee and the Parliamentary Party to review the overall situation, according to Gyawali.
Oli’s House dissolution move on December 20 led to a split in the Nepal Communist Party, with one faction led by Oli and the other by Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal.
Even though the Supreme Court has overturned Oli’s House dissolution decision, calling it unconstitutional, he is yet to step down as prime minister.
Oli’s aides have been saying through social media platforms that the prime minister won’t resign and would face the House.
The day Oli dissolved the House on December 20, the Dahal-Nepal faction had registered a no-confidence motion against Oli with the signatures of as many as 93 Members of Parliament. Five lawmakers had pulled out later. But by the time they registered the no-confidence motion, Oli had recommended House dissolution and President Bidya Devi Bhandari had endorsed it.
Asked if Oli would resign, Gyawali on Wednesday said that “we are in discussion with parties.”
“We want to hear from them [parties] also,” said Gyawali. “What we are saying is the country should not be kept in a state of limbo. The prime minister would do whatever is best for the country.”
Meanwhile, the Dahal-Nepal faction has reached out to the Nepali Congress.
According to leaders, Dahal and Nepal on Wednesday afternoon met with Deuba at the latter’s residence in Budhanilkantha.
Both Dahal and Nepal requested Deuba to join hands in forming a coalition government.
“We are for joining hands with the Congress, Janata Samajbadi Party and other forces that are against KP Oli’s regression. We have to form a coalition government. We told [Deuba] that let’s join hands,” said Nepal after the meeting.
Deuba’s aide Bhanu Debua said that the Congress president told Dahal and Nepal that he would get back to them after holding a discussion within the party.
According to Bhanu, the Congress president has called a meeting of senior leaders and office bearers at his residence on Thursday.
With 61 seats in Parliament, the Congress party has emerged as the kingmaker.
The Dahal-Nepal faction has around 90 of the 173 Members of Parliament. The Janata Samajbadi Party has 32 members.
The Oli faction has 83 Members of Parliament.
The Congress party’s decision is crucial for the formation of a coalition government, as none of the parties controls the majority in the 275-strong House of Representatives, where the magic number is 138.
According to a Congress leader, the Oli faction too has approached Deuba for a possible alliance on Tuesday.
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