Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba secured a comprehensive majority in the House of Representatives, with his Nepali Congress being joined by most other parties — including a section of the main opposition Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) — in supporting the vote of confidence tabled in the House on the first day that it convened after it was reinstated by the Supreme Court.
A total of 165 members voted in support of Deuba, with just 83, mostly loyalists of CPN-UML chairman and outgoing prime minister K P Sharma Oli, cast their votes against.
The vote came after hours of debate, which saw a series of allegations and counter-allegations. The CPN-UML maintained that Oli was right to dissolve the House and call new elections, and criticized the Supreme Court judgment. But Dueba’s supporters, including senior leaders from multiple parties, accused Oli of being dictatorial in having twice dissolved the House. Oli was also criticized for what opponents say was an excessive use of ordinances.
Deuba, meanwhile, said his government’s priority was to ensure Covid-19 vaccine supply, and to keep amicable relations with all the neighbouring countries.
Oli was ousted as the prime minister following a unanimous verdict of a five-member Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court on July 12. The Bench ruled that the dissolved House be reinstated and Deuba be appointed prime minister based on the letter of support that he had submitted to the President.
Deuba was required to seek a vote of confidence in the House within a month of being appointed prime minister.