KP Sharma Oli named Nepal’s prime minister for fourth term
KP Sharma Oli, leader of the left-wing Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) CPN-UML, was appointed the country’s new prime minister on Sunday, ending a weeks-long political crisis, local media reported.
President Ramchandra Paudel appointed Oli premier for a fourth term, local English daily the Kathmandu Post reported.
First serving as prime minister in 2015-2016, Oli was also head of the government from February 2018 to July 2021, in two separate terms.
Oli won the appointment after he staked a claim with the support of 166 lawmakers, including 88 from the Nepali Congress and 78 from the UML.
The minimum number of seats needed in the 275-member House of Representatives to form a government is 138.
Oli and his Cabinet ministers will be sworn in on Monday.
Under the country’s Constitution, Oli needs to secure a vote of confidence from parliament within 30 days of appointment.
The small Himalayan country was plunged into a political crisis last month following the ouster of Oli’s predecessor Pushpa Kamal Dahal after the UML withdrew its support for the ruling coalition.