Nepali PM to face no-confidence motion

The country has been plagued by political turmoil for years and the bid by the Maoists to unseat Prime Minister KP Oli and form a new government ushered in another phase of uncertainty. 

Oli, who came to power in October when the Maoists offered his party parliamentary backing to build a coalition, faces the prospect of a no-confidence vote if he cannot persuade other parties to stick with him. The main Maoist party accuses Oli of reneging on past promises and is expected to move lodge a motion of no-confidence in the prime minister. 

“There is no need for the prime minister to resign. If there is a no-confidence vote against him in the parliament the prime minister will face it,” Oli’s press adviser Pramod Dahal told Reuters late on yesterday after meeting junior coalition partners. Neighbours India and China compete for influence in Nepal and are both likely to be concerned by the prospect of more instability in a country struggling to rebuild after a devastating earthquake last year. 

Oli, Nepal’s seventh prime minister since it abolished its 239-year old monarchy in 2008, survived an attempt by the Maoists to unseat him in May after he reached a power-sharing deal.