Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli's government recommends House dissolution; goes to meet President

Nepal Energy Minister Barsaman Pun on Sunday said that at an emergency meeting called by PM KP Sharma Oli, the council of ministers recommended dissolving the country's Parliament. "It (recommendation) has been sent to the President," news agency ANI quoted the politician as saying. 

'It cannot be implemented': Nepal's Communist Party

Reacting to this, Narayankaji Shreshtha, spokesperson of the ruling Nepal Communist Party said that the decision has been made in haste and claimed that all the ministers were not present in the cabinet meeting this morning. "This is against the democratic norms and would take the nation backwards. It can’t be implemented," he said. 

According to The Kathmandu Post, Oli was under pressure to withdraw an ordinance related to the Constitutional Council Act that he had issued on Tuesday and got endorsed by President Bidya Devi Bhandari the same day. When the emergency meeting of the Cabinet was called for 10 am on Sunday, it was largely expected that it would recommend the replacement of the ordinance.

But instead, the Cabinet recommended House dissolution. According to a minister, as soon as the Cabinet meeting began, Oli announced that he was going to recommend the House dissolution to the President. “No one opposed,” the minister told The Kathmandu Post.

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Oli on Saturday held a series of meetings–with his fellow party chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal in the morning, Secretariat member Ram Bahadur Thapa in the afternoon and President Bhandari in the evening. Since the constitution does not have a provision for the House dissolution, the move is likely to be challenged in the court, the Nepali daily reported. 

On Wednesday, Oli agreed to withdraw the ordinance to amend the Constitutional Council Act. A standing committee of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) had also decided to repeal the ordinance, Khabarhub reported. Hours after the new ordinance was issued, Nepali Congress protested against the latest move by the government to amend the Constitutional Council (Functions, Duties, Powers and Procedures) Act, 2066 BS.

The new ordinance amended the Constitutional Council Act enabling the council Secretariat to hold its meeting even with three members, including chairperson (Prime Minister), and take decisions on the basis of majority. Before the ordinance amended the act, the council was required to make decisions on the basis of consensus.

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