Nepal President ratifies Parliament dissolution, announces dates for polls next year

Following Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli’s recommendation to dissolve the parliament, the country’s President Bidhya Devi Bhandari ratified the proposal and announced dates for the elections to be held next year. President Bhandari announced the date of the national polls to be held in two phases on April 30 and May 10 in 2021. PM Oli also met with Chief Election Commissioner and other officials in Kathmandu after the President gave formal consent to dissolve the House. 

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The recent move comes after PM Oli had called an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers after a series of meetings with the party’s leadership and ministers on Saturday. 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 Bhandari the same day. On Sunday, the PM again called an emergency meeting with the Cabinet and announced that he was going to recommend the House dissolution to the Parliament. 

Subsequently, the cabinet has forwarded the proposal of dissolution. Now, the latest move will lead to strong opposition from the Prachanda and Madhav Nepal camp and they are also likely to protest and even file a writ in the Supreme Court challenging this position taken by PM Oli. Following the confirmation of the decision, Narayankaji Shrestha, Spokesperson of the ruling Nepal Communist Party reacted calling it undemocratic.

Shrestha told ANI, “I got to know about the recommendation just now. The decision has been made in haste as all the ministers weren't present in the cabinet meeting this morning. This is against the democratic norms and would take the nation backward, this can't be implemented”. 

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Constitutional Council Act

Meanwhile, 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. However, 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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