Karnali Province Chief Minister Mangal Bahadur Shahi has secured a vote of confidence from the provincial assembly, three weeks after taking office.

Shahi received 21 votes in Wednesday’s provincial assembly meeting, the minimum required to command a majority in the 40-member House. Thirty-six lawmakers were present. Thirteen voted against the motion, while two remained neutral.

Shahi was appointed chief minister on July 28 with the support of the CPN-UML after Yamalal Kandel resigned from the post. Shahi, the parliamentary party leader of the Nepali Communist Party, has the backing of 14 NCP lawmakers and 10 from the UML, including the Speaker.

The provincial assembly has 15 Nepali Congress lawmakers, one independent former chief minister, Raj Kumar Sharma, and one Rastriya Prajatantra Party lawmaker.

Speaker Nanda Gurung announced that Shahi had secured the confidence of the House after a majority voted in favour of his motion.

Before the vote, Shahi urged all parties, including the Congress, to support his government, saying Karnali’s poverty, illiteracy and geographical remoteness should be treated as the province’s main challenges rather than the arithmetic of power.

Shahi had remained the only member of his cabinet since his appointment, as the NCP and UML struggled to agree on the distribution of ministries.

The two coalition partners reached a six-point agreement on Wednesday afternoon, clearing the way for the expansion of the provincial cabinet.

Shahi’s appointment followed Kandel’s resignation after serving as chief minister for around two years.