On Monday, the 4th vote of confidence in Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ was passed by Parliament in the 18 months since he took office. The primary opposition party, the Nepali Congress, chose not to participate in the ballot in a show of protest against Home Minister and Deputy PM Rabi Lamichhane, who is charged with embezzling cooperative funds.
In the 275-member House of Representatives (HoR), Prachanda, 69, a veteran guerilla leader from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), garnered 157 votes. 158 legislators took part in all, with one sitting in neutral.
Prachanda won a majority in the Parliament, and Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire formally declared him the winner. The confidence vote was required when the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) withdrew its support last week. For the government to continue in power, at least 138 votes were required.
Due to calls from the Nepali Congress for a parliamentary investigation into Lamichhane’s purported role in the scheme, the session was postponed. A PM is required by the constitution to seek a vote of confidence following the withdrawal of support from an ally.
On March 13, Prachanda had secured his third straight vote of confidence.
