Stage set for Oli’s reelection as UML chair

KATHMANDU: CPN-UML has removed the age limit for candidates aspiring to become central committee members of the party. This decision was reached during the party’s central committee meeting held on May 11-13, and the subsequent secretariat meeting on June 2.

Previously, the party’s statute stated that candidates over the age of 70 were ineligible to become central committee members. However, as per the newly issued intra-party instructions to party leaders and cadres, the age limit of 70 years has been suspended.

The age restriction was initially put in place by the 9th general convention of UML held in Kathmandu. The 10th general convention held in Chitwan in December of the previous year had upheld the decision.

By suspending this provision, the central committee and the secretariat have strategically opened the possibility for the reelection of Chairman KP Sharma Oli to his position. The decision has paved the way for Oli to become the party’s parliamentary leader after the 2027 elections.

Several senior leaders of the then Nepal Communist Party (NCP), which was formed after the merger of CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center), including Madhav Kumar Nepal, Ghana Shyam Bhusal, and Astalaxmi Shakya, had advocated for the 70-year age limit to facilitate the transition of leadership to younger leaders.

However, following the split of the NCP and the subsequent formation of CPN (Unified Socialist) by some UML leaders, Oli has consolidated his power within the party.