The CPN-UML parliamentary party on Sunday demanded that the prime minister step down immediately, arguing that the country is facing serious natural disasters and a minority government cannot make crucial decisions.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is set to face the House of Representatives on July 12 after two of his coalition partners, the UML and the Janata Samajbadi Party, withdrew their support to his government.

UML chair KP Sharma Oli has got the backing of the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the House, to become the next prime minister. UML leaders have been urging him to resign as soon as possible.

“Even a minute is important for the country,” UML Chief Whip Mahesh Bartaula told the Post. “Why should we wait for five more days?”

On July 2, the UML formally requested the prime minister to resign by the evening of July 3. The party’s secretariat meeting had called Dahal to step down to allow for new government formation in accordance with Article 76 (2) of the constitution.

Sunday’s parliamentary party meeting reiterated its earlier demand.

“Our first demand is that the prime minister resign immediately,” Bartaula said. “If he does not resign, we will vote against him on July 12.”

On March 4, the UML and the CPN (Maoist Centre) banded with fringe parties to form the government under Dahal's leadership, ousting the Nepali Congress as the chief coalition partner. Nearly four months later, the Congress and the UML forged an agreement to form a new government at midnight on July 1. On July 3, the UML, the largest party in the coalition, withdrew its support for the Dahal government, throwing it into the minority.

The upcoming floor test will be Prime Minister Dahal’s fifth since he assumed office after the November 2022 election. In his latest confidence vote on May 20, Dahal won the backing of 157 members in the 275-strong House, where the UML has 77 members and Dahal’s Maoist Centre has 32. Along with the UML, seven lawmakers of the Janata Samajbadi Party have also withdrawn their support for Dahal's government.

Currently, the Dahal government only has the support of 63 lawmakers, including 21 from the Rastriya Swatantra Party and 10 from the CPN (Unified Socialist).

As per Article 100 (2) of the constitution, the prime minister must now secure a vote of confidence from Parliament within 30 days to stay in power, which is unlikely given the current political situation.

In a hung parliament, smaller parties often have a big say in government formation. Therefore, the UML does not want to take any chances by letting Dahal remain in his position for long. A political observer says this could be the reason why the second largest party is insisting on his resignation.

“The UML might have thought that if he stays in office for long, Dahal could manipulate politics in his favor. Therefore, they want to unseat him as soon as possible,” Mumaram Khanal, a political observer, told the Post.

Maoist Centre leaders argue that since the Dahal government was formed as per Article 76 (2) of the constitution, the new government formation process would now move on to Article 76 (3).

If the government is formed as per Article 76 (3), the parliamentary party leader of the largest party in the House will be appointed the new prime minister. This will pave the way for Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba to be the next prime minister.

As per the Congress-UML deal, Oli will lead a new ‘national consensus’ government for a year and a half, before handing over the reins to Deuba until the next elections.

Maoist lawmakers told the Post that the prime minister would not resign to serve anyone’s (meaning UML) interest.

“The prime minister will proceed according to the constitutional provision,” Lekh Nath Dahal said. “It is a situation in which the parties that supported the government have withdrawn their support. The government still has power to make major decisions.”

The Maoist lawmaker alleges that UML leaders were demanding Dahal’s resignation fearing that the government may launch an investigation into the Giri Bandhu Tea Estate and the fake Bhutanese refugees scams.

“UML chief Oli is accused of policy corruption in the Giri Bandhu Tea Estate land swap case,” he said. “And his brother-in-law is accused in the Bhutanese refugees scam.”

UML lawmaker Raghuji Pant rubbishes lawmaker Dahal’s claim.

“If they have the evidence of our party engaging in any wrongdoing, let them start an investigation against our leader,” Pant told the Post. “If not, a prime minister whose support has dipped far below the majority mark should not buy the time. He needs to resign as soon as possible.”