Nepal’s Supreme Court on Monday reappointed the dissolved House of Representatives, in a judgement. The court ordered to appoint Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba as new prime minister within the time frame of 28 hours, which gave a major blow to PM K P Sharma Oli.
After PM K P Sharma Oli’s recommendation, President Bhandari dissolved the lower house for the second time in nearly five months on May 22 and announced snap elections on November 12 and November 19. Currently, PM Oli is heading a minority government after losing a trust vote in the 275-member House.
On July 5, the Constitutional Bench of the apex court concluded the hearings on the writ petitions. A four-member amicus curiae also presented its opinion on the House dissolution case.
Last week the Election Commission had issued the schedule for mid-term polls despite the ambiguity over elections.
Nearly 30 petitions were filed against the dissolution of the House by the President. One petition was even filed by the opposition alliance led by the Nepali Congress.
On 20 December 2020, the Himalayan nation plunged into a political crisis after President Bhandari dissolved the House and announced elections on April 30 and May 10 amidst a tussle for power within the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP).
(Inputs from PTI)
