While opposition parties are voicing strong dissatisfaction over the ordinances brought by the government, Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has staunchly defended the decision.

Addressing a press conference at Singha Durbar on Wednesday, Prime Minister Oli also clarified that there are no disagreements within the ruling coalition on the ordinances.

The Cabinet on January 10 had decided to forward five different ordinances to President Ramchandra Paudel for his approval.

On January 13, the President approved four ordinances including the Ordinance to Amend Some Nepal Acts related to Promoting Good Governance and Public Service Delivery (2025); the Economic Procedure and Financial Accountability (First Amendment) Ordinance (2025); the Privatisation (First Amendment) Ordinance (2025); and the Ordinance to Amend Some Nepal Acts Related to Improving the Economic and Business Environment and Enhancing Investment (2025). But he withheld the Ordinance to Amend the Land Act 1964, the Forest Act 2019 and the National Park Act 1973 claiming its sensitive nature.

Oli on Wednesday indicated that the President should not issue ordinances forwarded by the government without studying them, and that he would sign the remaining one after studying it.

“The President will have his associates study the ordinance before approving it,” said Oli. Soon after the prime minister’s statement, the President’s Office approved the previously stalled ordinance.

“After Prime Minister Oli assured to address the President’s concerns related to the stalled ordinance through a replacement bill, the President agreed to issue the Ordinance to Amend the Land Act-1964, the Forest Act-2019 and the National Park Act-1973,” a source close to the President told the Post.

Prime Minister Oli also explained that the delay in convening Parliament was because several bills are stuck in various parliamentary committees.

The budget session of Parliament ended on September 16. Currently many bills which are to be presented before Parliament are being discussed in various parliamentary committees.

“We will present the ordinances in Parliament on the first day of the House sitting. We will then bring replacement bills within 60 days and pass them,” Oli claimed. However, he did not specify when the winter session of Parliament would commence.

Prime Minister Oli also explained the rationale for the ordinances.

“After extensive discussions with top leaders of major coalition partners, experts, and stakeholders, the government brought the ordinances because they were essential for good governance and development,” Oli said.

He further claimed that the ordinances were brought in agreement with the main coalition partner, Nepali Congress, as well as the business community.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Oli also reiterated that his government has no plans to introduce any ordinance to split political parties.

Earlier, on December 25, the government had forwarded the Ordinance to Amend Cooperative Act to the President, which he approved on December 29.

However, opposition parties have accused the government of trying to rule through ordinances instead of convening a winter session of Parliament.

Six opposition parties, including the main opposition CPN (Maoist Centre), have strongly criticised the government’s reliance on ordinances.

In a meeting of opposition parties held at the Maoist Centre’s parliamentary party office on Wednesday morning, opposition leaders criticised the government’s conduct as arbitrary.

The government has disrespected Parliament and its members by issuing ordinances when Parliament is not in session, said Shakti Basnet, deputy general secretary of the Maoist Centre, who also was present in the meeting.

“Issuing ordinances instead of convening the winter session of Parliament sends a message of discord in the ruling coalition,” Basnet said while calling the move ‘regressive.’

The opposition meeting also urged the government to call the winter session without delay while accusing it of bypassing democratic norms.

Besides the Maoist Centre, representatives of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, CPN (Unified Socialist), Nepal Samajbadi Party, and Am Janata Party took part in the meet.

The opposition plans to issue a joint statement on Thursday urging the government to convene Parliament. A taskforce led by the Maoist Centre Deputy General Secretary Barshaman Pun and Unified Socialist vice-chair Beduram Bhusal as the members, has been assigned to draft the statement.