House Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara resigned on Tuesday following rape allegations by a woman who works at the Parliament Secretariat.
The resignation follows an emergency secretariat meeting of the ruling Nepal Communist Party, which had decided to ask Mahara to step down as the Speaker and member of parliament.
Mahara had initially denied the rape allegations, calling it an attempt to “assassinate his character.”
Mahara has tendered his resignation to the Deputy Speaker.
“In the wake of media reports questioning my moral character, I am resigning on the moral ground, with effect from today, to facilitate an impartial and fair investigation into the allegations,” reads Mahara’s resignation letter. Mahara, however, has said in the letter that he has resigned until the investigation is completed.
On Sunday, a woman who works at the Parliament Secretariat accused Mahara of raping her at her Tinkune apartment.
It remains uncertain how the investigation will unfold, and who will take over the role of the Speaker.
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