Kathmandu: Former Prime Minister and chairman of the CPN-UML party has staked his claim to the post of new Prime Minister of Nepal following the failure of Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the outgoing prime minister, to secure a majority in Friday’s floor test.
Oli will be appointed Prime Minister on Sunday morning.
President Ram Chandra Paudel will officially appoint Oli as Prime Minister on Sunday, MyRepublica reported.
Oli submitted his claim for the post of Prime Minister on Friday evening, when he along with Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba reached Sheetal Niwas to submit the claim.
Oli submitted the claim with the signatures of 166 MPs of UML and NC.
Oli and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba have jointly signed an application asking the President to appoint Oli as the new prime minister citing his majority support in the House of Representatives.
The UML, the second largest party in the House of Representatives, has 77 lawmakers excluding the Speaker and suspended lawmaker Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, who is in jail.
To stake a claim to form a new government, a minimum of 138 signatures is required in the 275-seat House of Representatives.
Until a new government is installed, the President has asked the outgoing prime minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, to serve as caretaker.
Although fringe parties, including the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP), the JSP-Nepal, the Loktantrik Samajbadi Party, the Janamat Party and the Nagarik Unmukti Party have pledged support to the Congress-UML coalition, Oli presented his claim to the President only with the backing of the UML and the Congress.
As per the July 1 deal between Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba and UML chair Oli, the two parties will lead the government on a rotational basis until next general elections scheduled for 2027.
