In a big setback, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Friday lost the vote of confidence in Parliament after the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) withdrew its support for his government.
Nepal PM Puspa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, who leads the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), received 63 votes in the 275-member House of Representatives (HoR). At least 138 votes are needed to win the vote of trust.
There were 194 votes against the motion, according to reports.
Prachanda, 69, has survived four trust votes since assuming office two years ago. He took charge of the post on December 25, 2022.
Former prime minister KP Sharma Oli-led CPN-UML withdrew support from the Prachanda-led government last week after tying up in power-sharing deal with the largest party in the House – Nepali Congress.
Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has already endorsed Oli as the next prime minister.
The Nepali Congress has 89 seats in the House of Representatives, while CPN-UML has 78 seats. Their combined strength of 167, comfortably crossing the 138 required for a majority in the lower house.
