PM Dahal to undergo floor test on July 12

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is set to seek a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives on July 12.

Prime Minister Dahal notified the Federal Parliament Secretariat of his intent to undergo a floor test on July 12 in a letter on Friday.

The CPN (Maoist Center) Chairperson’s government has fallen into the minority after his coalition partner CPN-UML withdrew support from the government and recalled its ministers on Wednesday.

The two largest parties in parliament, Nepali Congress (NC) and UML, on Monday reached an agreement to form a government. They have formally requested Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to pave the way for a new government by stepping down.

However, Dahal had been maintaining that he would rather face the parliament than step down.

Dahal was appointed Prime Minister on December 26, 2022, with the support of CPN-UML, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), and some fringe parties. However, he changed the coalition and brought NC on board in February 2023.

After about 14 months, he again ditched Nepali Congress and announced a new coalition with UML in the first week of March.

Dahal is unlikely to pass the floor test as NC and UML have a comfortable majority of 167 seats in the 275-member lower house.